you wouldn't think that cops and lawyers go together but surprisingly they do while they may be
adversaries in the courtroom
in the classroom they become colleagues it's amazing how one television show can have an
effect on a person
but our next guest knew what he wanted to be
from watching one of television's classic shows going to law school was always something
that i wanted
to do i can remember back being a small child watching episodes of perry mason
and when i saw perry mason i said
i want to be an attorney
but uh... more than that it was a way out
of the inner city for me growing up as a
in a poor family single-parent home in dorchester roxbury mattapan
uh... we didn't come from very much at all uh... and it was a way for me uh... to
climb out if you will
of living in poverty and a way also to help others climb out once I became an attorney
so that that's really what it boiled down to me
you know in terms of making the decision to finally go to law school
uh... and accomplish getting it done
how do you juggle the multiple roles you have I mean you're the assistant chief of police at
uh... of
public university
and you're also
here many many hours in the library studying law how do you juggle all of that
uh... it's really making commitment
to the process and i made a commitment when i began law school to get through this process
uh...and to not only just get through but to do it well enough so that when it came time
to taking the bar exam
i was prepared so i gave up made a lot of sacrifices
a lot of personal sacrifices gave up a number of different things
but they were all for
the final goal and the big picture which which was to become which was to graduate from law
school
take the bar exam and become a practicing attorney here in massachusetts
and again flexibility with uh...my job my employer's they also supported me and my goal and
mission if you will to attain my jurist doctrine and also to pass the bar exam
so it does take a supportive employer to be able to get to juggle some of this as well
absolutely absolute a very supportive employer
well we'll give them those kudos yes
uh... what did you learn about yourself in law school what lesson do
you take away from this about you
yourself not
about the law or anything else well I'm smiling because you and I have often had conversations
about the law and specially more particularly specifically criminal law
but I think one of things it's really
uh... taught me is to have an open-mind and to go into cases and people's particular situations
with
an open mind you know oftentimes in law enforcement it's very easy to rush to judgment
when you're dealing with uh... criminal-defendants all the time or when you're going to a certain
house that you've been to
uh... on a number of basis on a number of times repetitive basis so
this process has taught me really to keep an open mind and to look at where people come from
and what
is this what are the circumstances behind their particular situation to go with an open
mind
and really kinda look at it from their perspective rather than just coming in in a very narrow focused
view
you know over the years i've talked to a number of different law enforcement
uh... officials and who have attended law school and they have told me that they believed
that attending law school has made them a better police officer or
other law enforcement agent do you find that that's true
without a doubt
you know especially one of the other responsibilities i have is i oversee our criminal investigations
unit and oftentimes
we have or the detectives will have questions regarding criminal procedure or the elements
of criminal law and with my education uh... and experience and my training here at Mass
school of law it's helped me to um... key in on some of the more controversial topics
and issues
uh... and then go back and share that information whether it's in a roll call briefing with the officers
in department Y or whether it's in particular with our criminal investigations bureau so it definitely
has helped me to become a much uh... well more well-rounded police officer and looking
at things from a number of different perspectives