By Katie Castellani
Flanked by law enforcement officials, Gov. Maura Healey on Thursday accepted a slew of endorsements from public safety-aligned organizations in her bid for reelection.
“I’m really proud and honored to receive the support of men and women in law enforcement because protecting public safety and protecting and supporting those whose job it is to protect and serve has been my highest priority as an elected official,” Healey said at the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association’s Dorchester location during a campaign stop.
Healey, a Democrat, scored endorsements from the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, Massachusetts Coalition of Police (MassCOP), the State Police Association of Massachusetts (SPAM) and the Massachusetts State Police Commissioned Officers Association. None of the four groups endorsed Healey in her first bid for governor in 2022, according to a spokesperson for the governor’s campaign. Representatives of SPAM and MassCOP said their organizations did not endorse any gubernatorial candidate in 2022.
Healey said some of her proudest and most heartbreaking moments as governor have involved law enforcement officials.
“Those moments of great pride and profound loss remind us all what this calling asks of each and every one who serves, and it’s why we owe to every person who puts on the uniform and answers the call serve our very best and always our support. I carry that every day with me as governor, and I will never forget,” the governor said.
Healey, who was the state’s attorney general from 2015 to 2023, promised to help recruit officers and “continue my efforts as a cheerleader and chief for law enforcement.” Specifically, Healey said she would help law enforcement officials get the resources, equipment and technology they need as well as support efforts to improve mental health throughout the profession.
Scott Hovsepian, president of MassCOP, applauded the governor’s support for mental health. He said MassCOP in 2016 became the first statewide union to put a mental health self-help quiz on its website.
“And we ran this by her to see if there was going to be any issues or her thoughts, and she was behind us 100% from day one as the attorney general, and her commitment to mental health well-being for law enforcement has only continued and grown stronger since she’s been the governor,” Hovsepian said.
Larry Calderone, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association and chair of the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Policy Group, said Healey has been responsive to law enforcement officials’ needs and priorities since she was attorney general.
“She has always been available for law enforcement,” Calderone said. “She’s always had an open door policy, and when we’ve had an issue on our front for our members and our families, we could always go to her and sure that we would get an answer.”
Calderone celebrated legislation enacted this year that creates a “Blue Star” license plate honoring the memories of fallen law enforcement officers. Supporters of the bill have said it was in the works for more than a decade.
Brendan Murphy, president of SPAM, applauded new tactics to prevent wrong-way crashes. Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr spearheaded a budget amendment this year aiming to curb wrong-way and drunk driving, which Healey backed. In June, the governor also announced that new technology was being implemented to address wrong-way driving, including an expansion of a pilot program that launched in 2022.
“She’s never shied away from standing with law enforcement as she is here today. She’s not like other elected or other candidates for office, where they refuse a law enforcement endorsement, she’s accepting a law enforcement endorsement. She’s showing today that she stands for law enforcement around the Commonwealth with us, and we are proud to continue the work for four more years and then some. As long as she wants to stay our governor, we’ll take her. We’re proud to endorse her,” Murphy said.
Mike Minogue, Healey’s Republican opponent in November’s election, has consistently criticized the governor’s approach to public safety. As part of his “Blueprint for a Better Future,” which was unveiled Thursday, Minogue said he plans to “fully fund and protect qualified immunity for law enforcement.”
