Chief Robert Barrows Named Justice George Lewis Ruffin Society Distinguished Fellow
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Northeastern University-based group honors criminal justice leaders of color from across greater Boston
BHCC Police Chief Robert Barrows was honored as a 2024 Distinguished Fellow of the Justice George Lewis Ruffin Society at Northeastern University, joining a group of more than a dozen other criminal justice leaders from across the Boston area, including Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, Suffolk County Sherriff Steven Tompkins, and Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be recognized amongst this group of amazing law enforcement leaders within the Commonwealth. To be recognized for our contributions and celebrating our achievements was truly amazing,” said Chief Barrows. “Because George Lewis Ruffin served as a Justice of the Charlestown Municipal Court, just a short distance from Bunker Hill Community College’s Charlestown Campus, I am humbled to work for excellence and positive change in the same community in which Justice Ruffin did the same thing more than a century ago.”
The Justice George Lewis Ruffin Society was founded in 1984 and is named for the first Black graduate of Harvard Law School, George Lewis Ruffin, who was later appointed as Justice of the Charlestown Municipal Court in 1883. The Society supports the advancement of people of color within the Massachusetts criminal justice system and seeks to enhance mutual understanding between communities and the criminal justice profession.
The Society, which is based at the Northeastern University School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, honored its Distinguished Fellows Award Honorees at an event entitled 40 Years of Progress: Celebrating Achievements and Marching Forward. The event also honored former Associate Justice of the Superior Court of Massachusetts Julian Houston with the Society’s President Emeritus Award, and featured Boston Municipal Court Justice Jonathan Tynes as keynote speaker.
2024 Distinguished Fellows Award Honorees
- Andrea Campbell, Massachusetts Attorney General
- Christine Elow, Cambridge Police Commissioner
- Lester Baker, Framingham Police Commissioner
- Michael Cox, Boston Police Commissioner
- Kevin Hayden, Suffolk County District Attorney
- Kenneth Green, MBTA Transit Police Chief
- Michael Davis, Northeastern University Police Chief
- Steven Tompkins, Suffolk County Sheriff
- John Gibbons, Former US Marshal for Massachusetts
- James Hicks, Natick Police
- Chief Robert Barrows, Bunker Hill Community College Police Chief
- Yolanda Smith, Tufts University Police
- Chief Pamerson Ifill, Massachusetts Probation Service Commissioner
- Tyrone Parham, University of Massachusetts Police Chief
- Lawrence Akers, Springfield Police Chief
- Lisa Butner, Tufts University Police Captain
For more information on the Justice George Lewis Ruffin Society, visit the society’s website at Northeastern University.