The Commish

You have said you want to innovate in the fight against homicide and gun violence in Boston. Can you be more specific?

It's no secret that I'm committed to community policing. I'm committed to it as a philosophy, not as a specialized program. And so there can be changes in the Boston Police Department around making sure that every police officer – detectives, rapid-response units, specialized units – all operate with a community-policing philosophy, a problem-solving philosophy that focuses more on the prevention of crime than it does on the rapid response to it.

Where has Boston failed in community policing?

I don't think Boston has failed. I think that what's happened here is there have been circumstances that have sort of taken our eye off the ball. When you're dealing with crisis after crisis, it's hard to remember what the philosophical underpinning of community policing is all about. Boston has specialized community- policing and community-service officers who are doing a fantastic job in engaging people out on the street. But it may be helpful to make this a philosophy department-wide.

Your father was a police officer. How long was his career?

About 23 or 24 years. He came on before I was born, and I was 22 when he died.

How did he die?

He had a heart attack.

You had a heart attack in 2003.

I did.

And you had to leave work for a while. How are you doing now?

I'm doing great. I'm feeling very, very well, better than I ever have. As far as the doctors are concerned, I'm good for quite some time.

In your new job, you wear a suit and sit behind a big desk. What do you miss about being out on the beat?

I miss being the first officer at the scene. I don't know if it's possible to convey in words the excitement of that – or the challenge that it poses – when you get there and a serious crime has occurred and people are looking for assistance.

In all the years that you were on the streets, did you ever have to fire your gun?

Yes, I did. When I first came on, there were very few rules about the discharge of firearms during chases, so it was pretty common to try to shoot tires out, things like that. It was much more the Wild West back in the 1970s around policing. Thankfully, that stuff doesn't happen anymore. And thankfully, I never had to shoot anyone.

Your predecessor, Kathleen O'Toole, lasted two years and then took a job in Ireland. And her predecessor, Paul Evans, stayed here for nine and then went to England. What are your plans?

I'm hoping for Hawaii.