As Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O’Toole weighs whether to leave for a job with the Irish national police, possible successors are being debated at City Hall, in the community, and within the Police Department, reports the Boston Globe. Names being mentioned include current police Superintendents Robert P. Dunford, who organized security for the Democratic National Convention, and Paul Joyce, who supervises elite squads, including the drug, gang, and homicide units. Dunford appears to be the odds-on favorite. Some community leaders hope to see the department’s first leader from a minority group, someone like MBTA Transit Police Chief Joseph Carter.
Others favor candidates with strong leadership skills who can whip the department into shape, like Lowell, Ma., Police Superintendent Edward F. Davis, who is credited with a 60 percent drop in crime during his tenure. The Irish Times reported that O’Toole has been selected and is awaiting ratification by the Irish government; the commissioner said she had not been informed of any selection.
Link: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/05/09/police_commissioner_job_is_th