City of Cambridge Hires Chief Justice Ireland to Conduct Independent Review

Cambridge City Manager Louis DePasquale and Cambridge Police Commissioner Branville Bard, Jr. today announced that the City of Cambridge has hired Roderick L. Ireland, former Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, to conduct an independent review of the Police Department’s internal review associated with the April 13^th arrest of a 21-year-old Harvard student. Chief Justice Ireland will have access to the evidence related to the arrest, including police reports, witness statements and video, as well as the personnel, policies and trainings related to the arrest, and will then conduct an independent review of the findings determined by the Cambridge Police Department’s Professional Standards Unit. 

Ireland, now a Distinguished Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University, where he has taught for 40 years, served as a judge for 37 years, sitting in the Boston Juvenile Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, and the Supreme Judicial Court.  He was the first African-American Justice to be appointed to the Supreme Judicial Court in its then 305-year history, and its first African American Chief Justice.

A thorough internal review into the incident remains active and ongoing by the Cambridge Police Department Professional Standards Unit.  Once that internal review is completed, Chief Justice Ireland will review the findings and issue his report.  Chief Justice Ireland’s report will then be made available to the general public.  A timetable for its completion has not yet been determined, but will be communicated once the results are nearly finalized. No charges have been filed against the student.

“I have complete confidence in Commissioner Bard and the Cambridge Police Department, and I want to thank Chief Justice Ireland for his willingness to work with the City of Cambridge. His experience and credibility will add great value to the process,” said City Manager Louis A. DePasquale. 

“Our intention at the outset of this incident was to ensure a thorough, complete, fair and transparent internal review process,” said Commissioner Bard. “Having someone with a proven track record like Chief Justice Ireland reinforces those intentions and our commitment to a transparent process. We are thankful for his willingness to conduct an independent review.”