Boston Names Five-Member Panel to Find Next Police Commissioner

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced a five-member search committee Thursday to identify the city's next permanent police commissioner, with community listening sessions set before any candidates are evaluated. Retired Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice Geraldine Hines will chair the committee, joined by former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, Bishop William E. Dickerson of Greater Love Tabernacle Church, Teen Empowerment executive director Abrigal Forrester, and Boston University law professor Jasmine Gonzalez Rose. Acting Commissioner Greg Long, praised by Wu as a "close and trusted advisor" in setting up the search, confirmed he will not seek the permanent post. Wu cited five straight years of falling crime — violent crime down 15 percent and homicides falling from 56 to 40 in 2021 — as backdrop, while framing the appointment as inseparable from a public health agenda addressing mental health, substance use, and COVID-19 fallout. Two virtual public meetings are scheduled for January 20 and January 26; Wu said she hopes to name a permanent commissioner by spring.