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Boston College Police Chief and Director of Public Safety John King was named the inaugural winner of the D. Joseph Griffin Award for Administrative Excellence by the Massachusetts Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (MACLEA).
King has devoted nearly 40 years to campus law enforcement, serving at Northeastern, Bentley and Tufts universities before arriving at Boston College in 2010. He was presented with the award — named for the retired chief of police for Northeastern University, a pioneer in the professionalization of campus safety and law enforcement efforts — at the MACLEA Dec. 19 meeting.
“It is an honor to receive this award,” said King. “Joe Griffin has always been a leader in our profession and a mentor to me and many others. His exceptional leadership skills and advocacy for community policing has helped to advance the professionalism of campus law enforcement.”
Nominating King for the award, Griffin praised “his outstanding leadership and management skills combined with his devotion to the campus law profession.”
At BC, King reorganized the BC Police Department and created new bureaus to allow the department to better serve the University community. Under his guidance and direction, the BCPD placed an emphasis on community policing and crime prevention. Also under his tenure, BCPD received certification from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission and will become accredited next month.
“No one is more deserving of this extraordinary accolade than John King,” said Thomas E. Atkinson Jr., Boston College deputy chief of police and associate director of public safety, in remarks at the event. “Through his education, experiences, and decisions, John has clearly demonstrated that he is a highly effective leader and manager who exemplifies the best practices and professional standards in our field. He is a man of vision who has the rare ability to translate that vision into action. He has an unsurpassed ability to build teams and motivate people to work together towards common goals.
“He cares about the welfare of his people, the Boston College community and their families. This professionalism, character, and integrity make John King one above the others within campus law enforcement, and law enforcement in general,” Atkinson added.
A graduate of Northeastern with a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement in 1978 and a master’s degree in public administration in 1984, King received his police training at the Massachusetts State Police Academy and the Boston Police Department Regional Recruit Academy. A member of MACLEA, King is also past president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators.
Also honored at the meeting were BC Police Sgt. Jeffrey Postell, who received the inaugural Sean Collier Award, and BC Patrol Officer Keith Holland, who was recognized for heroic action undertaken last December while a member of the Bentley University Police Department.