Suffolk County Sheriff's Department
The Suffolk County Sheriff's Department is a law enforcement agency for Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The agency's primary responsibility is oversight of the Nashua Street Jail and the South Bay House of Correction in Boston, Massachusetts.
| Suffolk County Sheriff's Department | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | SCSD |
| Agency overview | |
| Employees | 1,051 |
| Annual budget | $122 Million |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA |
| Population | 732,864 |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Deputy Sheriff/Correction Officers | 800 |
| Unsworn members | Civilian |
| Sheriff responsible |
|
| Facilities | |
| Lockups | 2 |
| Patrol Vehicles | Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor |
| K-9 Units | 6 |
| Website | |
| Suffolk County Sheriff's Department website | |
South Bay House of Correction
This facility was built in 1991 at a cost of $115 million to replace the antiquated jail on Deer Island. The HOC was designed to hold up to 900 prisoners at one time, but it currently houses upwards of 1,900 at any given time. There are 674 cells and 32 different housing units at this modern facility.
Nashua Street Jail
This facility was built in 1990 to replace the historic Charles Street Jail which operated from 1851 to 1991. This facility houses almost 744 pre-trial detainees in 13 different housing units. The jail has 453 cells containing 654 individual beds. The entire facility is maximum security.
Correction Officer Training Academy
The Suffolk County Sheriff's Department has a 12-week training academy for recruits to become corrections officers. Specific topics covered include: the use of force, firearm safety and handling, suicide prevention, courtroom testimony, ethics and professionalism, inmate education, fire safety, CPR and first aid, report writing, and interpersonal communication, among other topics. Recruits are also given physical training and are taught multiple defensive tactics.
The Training Facility is located in Chelsea, Massachusetts.
Honor Guard Unit
The Honor Guard unit is frequently requested by various organizations to appear throughout Suffolk County and beyond to display the Colors for community functions, funerals, parades, and events.
K-9 Unit
The Sheriff's Department currently has four K-9 teams. Two of the K-9s are German Shepherds that are cross-trained in patrol and narcotics detection and the two other dogs are Labradors that are trained in narcotics detection. These teams provide additional security and search for narcotics inside the House of Correction and Nashua Street Jail as well as assist other law enforcement agencies in searching for narcotics, fleeing felons, or lost children.
List of sheriffs
| # | Sheriff | Term | Party | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Samuel Gookin | 1692–1702 | ||
| 2nd | Giles Dyer | 1702–1713 | ||
| 3rd | William Dudley | 1713–1714 | ||
| 4th | William Payne | 1714–1714 | ||
| William Dudley | 1714–1715 | |||
| William Payne | 1715–1728 | |||
| 5th | Edward Winslow | 1728–1743 | ||
| 6th | Benjamin Pollard | 1743–1757 | ||
| 7th | Stephen Greenleaf | 1757–1775 | Final colonial sheriff | |
| 8th | William Greenleaf | 1775–1780 | First sheriff following American independence Brother of Stephen Greenleaf | |
| 9th | Joseph Henderson | 1780–1791 | ||
| 10th | Jeremiah Allen | 1791–1809 | ||
| 11th | Samuel Bradford | 1809–1818 | ||
| 12th | Joseph Hall | 1818–1825 | Appointed Judge of Probate | |
| 13th | Charles Pinckney Sumner | 1825–1839 | Father of Charles Sumner | |
| 14th | Joseph Eveleth | 1839–1852 | ||
| 15th | Henry Crocker | 1852–1853 | ||
| Joseph Eveleth | 1853–1857 | |||
| 16th | John M. Clark | 1857–1883 | First elected sheriff | |
| 17th | John B. O’Brien | 1883–1905 | Democratic | |
| 18th | Fred H. Seavey | 1905–1912 | Democratic | Died in office. |
| 19th | John Quinn | 1915–1917 | Democratic | Died in office |
| 20th | John A. Keliher | 1917–1938 | Democratic | Died in office |
| 21st | John F. Dowd | 1938–1939 | Democratic | Resigned while under investigation. Convicted of bribery after spending two years as a fugitive. |
| 22nd | Frederick R. Sullivan | 1939–1968 | Democratic | Died in office James J. Mellen served as acting sheriff while Sullivan was serving in the U.S. Army (1943–1946) |
| 23rd | John W. Sears | 1968–1969 | Republican | |
| 24th | Thomas S. Eisenstadt | 1969–1977 | Democratic | |
| 25th | Dennis J. Kearney | 1977–1987 | Democratic | |
| 26th | Robert Rufo | 1987–1996 | Democratic | Appointed Associate Justice of the Suffolk District Court |
| 27th | Richard J. Rouse | 1996–2002 | Democratic | Retired |
| 28th | Andrea Cabral | 2002–2013 | Democratic | Appointed Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety |
| 29th | Steven Tompkins | 2013–present | Democratic |
Officer Deaths
- April 11, 1997- Deputy Joseph Freedman suffered a fatal heart attack while distributing food carts at the South Bay House of Correction.[2]
References
- "History of Sheriffs". Suffolk County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
- "Deputy Sheriff Joseph A. Freedman". The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP). Retrieved 2020-05-20.
External links
- Suffolk County Sheriff's Department website
- Dying on the Sheriff's Watch - WBUR Investigations