Michael A. Cox was appointed the 44 th Police Commissioner of the Boston Police Department on August 15, 2022 by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. He has served in law enforcement for the past 33 years.
Commissioner Cox served from July of 2019 until his Boston appointment, as the Chief of Police for the Ann Arbor, Michigan Police Department. There, he implemented new community policing strategies, which the Commissioner believes starts with better communication, internally and with the public. He made strides to keep the community involved at every level and worked in partnership with residents, businesses and stakeholders to keep neighborhoodssafe.
His service with the Boston Police Department began in 1989 and included 15 years on the Command Staff in diverse functions. He last served as the Superintendent, Chief of the Bureau of Professional Development, overseeing the Boston Police Academy, Firearms Training Unit, Police Cadet Unit, new Recruit training and all in-service training for sworn Boston Police personnel.
Previously, as a Deputy Superintendent he was the commander of the Operations Division, primarily responsible for the 9-1-1 Emergency Response Services for the City of Boston, the Assistant Bureau Chief of the Bureau of Professional Standards, a Zone Commander overseeing police services to the Hyde Park, Roslindale, Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury communities, and served as the Assistant Bureau Chief of the Bureau of Investigative Services, overseeing all investigations citywide and the Forensics Division.
Before his Command Staff assignment, he worked as a Sergeant Detective in the Intelligence Unit, where he served as the liaison to the U.S. Secret Service, and was the supervisor assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force. At this rank he was also assigned to Internal Affairs, Recruit Investigations and the Audit and Review Units. As a Police Officer, he
worked in Area B-3 serving the Mattapan and Dorchester communities, until joining the Citywide Anti-Gang Violence Unit until his promotion to Sergeant in 1995.
Commissioner Cox is a Boston Police Medal of Honor recipient and has also received numerous other commendations and awards. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Police Executive Research Forum Senior Management Institute for Police and holds degrees from Providence College in Business Management, Curry College where he obtained a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice, and Boston University’s Questrom School of Business where he obtained an MBA.
Under the umbrella of Community Policing, Commissioner Cox set goals that include; to increase transparency, accountability, procedural justice, equity and inclusion, receive input from communities and stakeholders, increase personnel interactions in the neighborhoods with those we serve, improve trust, and improve communications internally and externally, while addressing and supporting Officer wellness.
Contact · 617-343-4500