Sheriff-Elect Kevin Coppinger Looks Ahead

LYNN, MA – At around 10 p.m. last Tuesday, Lynn Police Chief Kevin Coppinger knew he'd won the race for Essex County Sheriff. The race to replace longtime Sheriff Frank Cousins began with roughly a dozen candidates, and Coppinger came out ahead of the four candidates on the ballot last Election Day.

"It's an honor, and I'm humbled by the votes," said Coppinger, the Democratic candidate. Coppinger said this week that he had already met with Cousins and was putting together a transition team for when he enters office in January.

Coppinger's replacement at the Lynn Police Department is still unknown. Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy is the appointing authority for the police chief, and the department operates under civil service, which means the next chief must come from within the Lynn Police Department unless the city changes that policy.

There are two deputy chiefs and five captains in the Lynn Police Department that are eligible to be assessed for the chief's position.

Coppinger said one of his major priorities as sheriff will be to work with the budget gap: The department had submitted a budget of roughly $67 million for this fiscal year, but the state had only approved $54 million.

"I'm going to do an audit when I get up there and just see how things work and get a good understanding of the operation," Coppinger said. "The first priority is to get a handle on everything that's going on there as much as possible."

Coppinger has been the Lynn Police Chief since 2009, and worked in various roles in the department since 1986. He's a third-generation Lynn officer: His uncle broke up speakeasies in the city during Prohibition.

The longtime chief helped to create the Behavioral Health Until at the Lynn Police Department by partnering with the state Attorney General's office, Department of Public Health, and Eliot Community Human Services. In the unit, clinicians and case workers work with officers to help clients with substance abuse or mental health issues.

During the race Coppinger was endorsed by the Massachusetts Major City Police Chiefs Association, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, the Essex County Chiefs of Police Association, and others.

Image via Taylor Rapalyea/Patch Staff