Local officials bring national Black law enforcement organization to Massachusetts
Sheriff Tompkins, Commissioner Gross, DA Rollins, Commissioner Bard among leadership of new “NOBLE Massachusetts” chapter
MASSACHUSETTS – A group of local law enforcement officials has announced the formation of the newest chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).
Known as NOBLE Massachusetts – or NOBLE Mass – the chapter is led by some of the most recognizable members of law enforcement in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including Executive Team members Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins (President), Cambridge Police Commissioner Dr. Branville G. Bard, Jr. (Vice President), Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins (Parliamentarian), Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department Special Sheriff and Superintendent Yolanda Smith (Secretary), Immediate Past President at the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement Brian Corr (Treasurer) and Boston Police Commissioner William Gross (Sergeant-at-Arms).
Like the national organization, NOBLE Massachusetts works to ensure equity in the administration of justice in the provision of public service to all communities, and to serve as the conscience of law enforcement by being committed to justice by action. In addition, NOBLE Mass strives to build a stronger rapport with community stakeholders, enhance professional development among its members, and establish robust support apparatuses for fellow law-enforcement representatives that can be utilized in all facets of the profession while emphasizing inclusivity and collaboration with other organizations.
The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) was founded in September 1976 during a three-day symposium to address crime in low-income urban areas. The symposium was co-sponsored by the Police Foundation and the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA). The Joint Center for Political Studies (JCPS) coordinated this unprecedented event in which sixty top ranking black law enforcement executives representing twenty-four states and fifty major cities gathered in the Washington, D.C. area to participate. They exchanged views about the critically high rate of crime in the black urban communities and the socio-economic conditions that lead to crime and violence. They raised questions about relevant issues such as fairness in the administration of justice, police community relations, the hiring and promotion of black police officers, and the unique problems of the black police executive.
Recognizing black law enforcement executives could have a significantly more effective impact upon the criminal justice system through a unified voice, the symposium participants departed from the planned agenda to create NOBLE. They unanimously elected Hubert Williams, then Director of the Newark, New Jersey Police Department, and the first black police chief of a major city, temporary chairman of NOBLE. During that meeting, the initial purpose and the objectives of the organization were developed and a working committee to devise the organizational structure was formed. NOBLE National is comprised of six regions with more than thirty chapters.
In addition to the members of the Executive Team, NOBLE Mass founders include: Gary Bracey; Michael Burks, Chief, Town of Hudson Police Department; Lieutenant Detective Lisa Butner, Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Police; Joseph Carter, Adjutant General (Ret.), Massachusetts National Guard; John Gibbons, Marshal, United States Marshals Service; Kenneth Green, Chief, MBTA Transit Police; James Hicks, Chief, Town of Natick Police Department; and Sandy Zamor-Calixte, Chief of External Affairs, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department.
To learn more about NOBLE Mass, visit: www.noblemassachusetts.org, or visit: www.noblenational.org for more on NOBLE National.
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