Boston Police Department Welcomes New Commissioner

BOSTON — A former Boston police officer and current police chief in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is about to take over as leader of the Boston Police Department, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said Wednesday.

Michael Cox, 57, is a Boston native who was once beaten by his BPD colleagues 25 years ago after they mistook him for a suspect in a fatal shooting, Wu said.

With promises to help diversify the police department, Cox says his number one goal is to make sure officers are there to protect the community.

After a string of bad publicity from the Boston Police Department including child rape accusations from the former head of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association Sean Rose, and then-acting Mayor Kim Janey firing Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White amid accusations of domestic violence - BPD is in dire need of a new leader.

Superintendent-in-Chief Gregory Long was in control of the department while the city searched for a new police chief over the last year.

Cox became a member of the BPD in 1989, working through multiple roles and higher ranks while in Boston until he became part of the command staff.

In 1995, Cox was working undercover in plainclothes when his fellow officers mistook him for a suspect in a fatal shooting, severely beating him and leaving him bloody and bruised on the ground. According to the Boston Globe, those same officers later tried to cover up the attack.

But that didn't stop Cox from continuing to serve in the department, holding 33 years with the BPD under his belt.

"I think this is a very exciting time. I think the officers need someone to support them," Cox told reporters. "And I'm going to their biggest cheerleader."

Cox will take over as Commissioner next month.