Electronic edition, Vol. 1 No. 35 Nov. 12, 2008

Criminal Justice grad named MBTA police chief

mbta chief Paul MacMillan '75 has been named chief of the MBTA Police Department.

Another Criminal Justice graduate has attained the ranking of chief in a Massachusetts police force, an honor that should make everyone affiliated with the school feel some pride.

Paul MacMillan, 55, who earned his bachelor’s degree at the College of Criminal Justice, was named chief of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) Police Department on Nov. 6, according to an MBTA Police press release.

Jack McDevitt, associate dean of graduate research, praised MacMillan as a committed alumnus who has stayed connected with his college, while doing it proud.

“We’re very excited that Paul has taken on this job,” McDevitt said. “I would say that running the MBTA Police is one of the more complex transit police challenges in the country.”

He added, “We hope to be able to support him as he continues to support our students and our faculty in providing co-op jobs and research opportunities.”

MacMillan is not the first Criminal Justice grad to become a police chief in Massachusetts, McDevitt said. Graduate Daniel O’Leary is chief of Brookline Police and Phil Mahoney is chief of Woburn Police, he said.

Jean Egan, senior co-op coordinator for Criminal Justice, said the MBTA Police has served as an excellent co-op partner, and has awarded other key commanding positions to other Criminal Justice grads.

“From the co-op perspective, not only is it very exciting to have an alumnus promoted to chief, but, we also have such a strong connection with the MBTA Police, that this just underscores the positive relationship the college and police have,” Egan said. “We have several grads serving in key leadership positions there.”

MacMillan said police departments everywhere are increasingly recognizing the need for a college degree in police work.

“Back when I got my degree from Northeastern (1975), it was early on in the history of the College of Criminal Justice. But even then, people recognized the importance of a college education in police work.”


Rising up the rank to chief has long been a goal, he said. “It’s great that it’s happened,” he said.

— Susan Salk