William G. Gross (, born c. 1964) is a former American

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

who served as Commissioner of the

Boston Police Department The Boston Police Department (BPD), dating back to 1854, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest municipal police department in the United States. The ...

for 29 months, from August 2018 to January 2021.

Early life and education

Gross was born in rural

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

to a single mother, the middle of three children, and moved to Boston at the age of 12. He graduated from Boston Technical High School (now the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics & Science). He then entered the

Boston Police The Boston Police Department (BPD), dating back to 1854, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest municipal police department in the United States. The ...

Cadet Program, becoming a Patrol Officer two years later. Gross earned an

Associate in Science An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

degree in

Criminal Justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the Rehabilitation (penology), rehabilitation of o ...

from

Quincy College Quincy College (QC) is a public community college in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is an open admission commuter school that offers associate degrees, bachelor degrees, and certificate programs. It was founded in 1958 and enrolls approximately 4,500 ...

in 2017.

Boston Police Department

As a patrol officer, Gross served in the Anti-Youth Violence Strike Force and the Drug Control Unit, and later was an instructor at the Boston Police Academy. He achieved the ranks of Sergeant and Sergeant Detective, and then became Deputy Superintendent in 2008, where he attended community meetings to address specific

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

crime concerns. In 2010, he became commander of the Field Support Division, which includes the Anti-Youth Violence Strike Force and the School Police Unit. In 2012, he was promoted to Superintendent, Night Commander. In March 2017, Gross was again promoted, becoming the first

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

Superintendent-in-Chief of the Boston police.

Commissioner

On August 6, 2018, Boston mayor

Marty Walsh Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and former union official. He has been the 29th United States Secretary of Labor since March 23, 2021. A Democrat, he previously served as the 54th mayor of Boston from 2014, ...

officiated the ceremony during which Gross was sworn in as Commissioner of the Boston Police Department. Gross became the department's 42nd commissioner. When Gross resigned Boston's annual homicide rate (57 killings) was at an eight year high. He oversaw a review of the department's use-of-force policies, allowed officers to arm themselves with chemical weapons,

police body camera In policing equipment, a body camera or wearable camera, also known as body-worn video (BWV), body-worn camera (BWC), or bodycam, is a wearable audio, video, or photographic recording system used by police to record events in which law enforc ...

s were issued to half the force, and he established the first Bureau of Community Engagement for the Boston police. On the afternoon of January 28, 2021, Gross announced his near immediate retirement to be effective the next morning. The retirement was considered "abrupt," with Gross citing the desire to spend more time with family. ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' reported several months later that Gross had experienced a health scare, which prompted his retirement. Superintendent Dennis White was immediately named as his successor by Walsh. White was formally sworn in on February 1, and two days later was placed on leave after court records documenting domestic violence surfaced. Gross, a conservative registered as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

, considered becoming a candidate in the

2021 Boston mayoral election The 2021 Boston mayoral election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, to elect the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. Incumbent mayor Marty Walsh was eligible to seek a third term. However, he resigned as mayor on March 22, 2021, after being con ...

, but stated at the time of his retirement that he decided against running. In May 2021, Gross endorsed

Boston City Council The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councillors are elected to two-year terms and there is no ...

member

Annissa Essaibi George Annissa Essaibi George (born December 12, 1973) is an American politician who served as an at-large member of the Boston City Council. First elected in 2015, she served on the council from 2016 to 2022. She was a candidate in the 2021 Boston may ...

for mayor.

References

External links

Boston Police Commissioner William Gross Reflects On Death Of George Floyd
via

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Boston Police Commissioner William Gross discusses police reform
via

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gross, William G. 1964 births Living people Commissioners of the Boston Police Department People from Boston People from Maryland African-American police officers Quincy College (Massachusetts) alumni 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people

Early life and education

Boston Police Department

Commissioner

References

Further reading

External links