Essex County Sheriff Candidate Kevin Coppinger: Snapshot

Editor's Note: This profile is part of a series on candidates for Essex County Sheriff. Patch is not endorsing any candidate in this race, and profiles are being published as candidates are available for interviews.

Democrat Kevin Coppinger of Lynn

Experience:

Coppinger has been the Chief of Police in Lynn since 2009. He has worked in the department as a deputy chief, captain, lieutenant, sergeant, and patrol officer since 1986. Before that, he was an officer with the Lynnfield Police Department.

Running because:

"[Inmates] are supposed to be coming out better than they came in," Coppinger told Patch. "I know it needs to get better." Coppinger said the whole picture of law enforcement – helping others and looking out for the underdogs – came from his father. He's a third-generation Lynn officer (his uncle broke up speakeasies in Lynn during prohibition).

Patch Profiles: Who Are The Essex County Sheriff Candidates?

If elected:

"The goal here is jail diversion," said Coppinger. He said services shouldn't end when inmates leave jail. Ultimately, Coppinger said he would increase training to further professionalism in areas such as CPR, deescalation, and recognizing mental illness, and further community partnerships to continue treatment after release.

He also said he wants to "take the politics out of the Sheriff's department," by hiring based on qualifications, not on favors.

What sets him apart:

"They don't see what I see in the community," said Coppinger of the other candidates. "What's going on behind the wall isn't working."

Accomplishments:

Coppinger helped to create the Behavioral Health Unit 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.

Endorsements:

• MA Major City Police Chiefs Association
• MA Chiefs of Police Association
• Essex County Chiefs of Police Association
• Former Secretary of Public Safety and Essex County District Attorney Kevin M. Burke
• Former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis
• Attorney General Maura Healey
• Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll
• Methuen Mayor Stephen Zanni
• Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini
• Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera
• Beverly Mayor Michael Cahill
• Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken
• Newburyport Mayor Donna Holaday

Image via Taylor Rapalyea for Patch