American police chief
Kathleen M. O'Toole
(
nee
Horton
; born May 9, 1954)
[1]
is an American law enforcement officer who served as Chief of the
Seattle Police Department (SPD)
from June 23, 2014, to January 4, 2018. She was previously the first female commissioner of the
Boston Police Department
, when appointed by
Mayor of Boston
Thomas M. Menino
in February 2004.
On May 9, 2006, her 52nd birthday, O'Toole officially announced that she was leaving the
Boston Police Department
to move to Ireland. She was the first Chief Inspector of the Garda Inspectorate, established to ensure that
Garda Siochana
operates effectively and efficiently. The Inspectorate reports directly to Ireland's
Minister for Justice and Equality
. She then returned to the U.S. and took her position in Seattle. O'Toole also sits on the bipartisan advisory board of States United Democracy Center.
[2]
Early life and education
[
edit
]
O'Toole was born in 1954 in
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
, and moved to
Marblehead
at age 13 and to Boston, Massachusetts, at age 18. She resided in Boston from that time until she took a position in Ireland in 2006. O'Toole earned a Bachelor of Arts from
Boston College
in 1976, a
Juris Doctor
from
New England School of Law
in 1982, and a PhD from the Business School of Trinity College Dublin in 2018.
[3]
Career
[
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]
O’Toole began her career in 1979 as a Boston police officer. In 1986, she joined the
Metropolitan District Commission Police
, at the time led by
William Bratton
. In 1990, she succeeded Bratton as head, but she left this position in 1991 in order to become a security executive for the
Digital Equipment Corporation
.
[4]
O'Toole then served as Lieutenant Colonel of
Massachusetts State Police
from 1992 to 1994. While maintaining her sworn State Police rank, she served from 1994 to 1998 as Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety in the cabinet of Governor
William Weld
. She was then appointed to the
Patten Commission
headed by
Lord Patten of Barnes
which reformed policing in
Northern Ireland
and led to the formation of the
Police Service of Northern Ireland
. In May 2014, she was nominated by Mayor Ed Murray to become Seattle's first female chief of police.
[5]
[6]
[7]
Shooting of Victoria Snelgrove
[
edit
]
While serving as Commissioner of the Boston Police, O'Toole was a central figure in the controversy surrounding the fatal
shooting of Victoria Snelgrove
during celebrations following the
Boston Red Sox
victory over the
New York Yankees
at
Yankee Stadium
in Game 7 the
2004 American League Championship Series
. During attempts to control the crowd that had gathered near
Fenway Park
, Boston police fired a "
less lethal
"
FN 303
round, which missed its intended target and struck Snelgrove in the eye, resulting in her death approximately 12 hours later.
[8]
While Commissioner O'Toole demoted Superintendent James Claiborne, who was not in the vicinity of the shooting, and suspended two officers involved in the incident, no prosecution or dismissal was brought against any officer in the case.
[9]
Investigations led by former U.S. Attorney
Donald K. Stern
and Suffolk County District Attorney
Daniel F. Conley
concluded that criminal charges would not be appropriate.
[10]
Garda Inspectorate
[
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]
The three-member Garda Inspectorate examines operational, investigative, managerial and policing strategies to ensure that these meet best practice. O'Toole's role within the Garda was to clean up the then-current scandalous conditions in the Gardai. The
Morris Tribunal
pronounced that it was "staggered" by the level of indiscipline and insubordination in the force
[11]
and the Irish Government responded with a revised code of discipline. O'Toole served her full term of office and was asked to stay on until the new Chief Inspector could take up his position in July 2012.
Personal life
[
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]
She is married to Daniel O'Toole, now a retired Boston police detective. They have one daughter, Meghan, who received her undergraduate degree from Boston College and her master's degree from
National University of Ireland, Galway
.
[12]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Williams, Jeanne C.,
"Googled: Kathleen O’Toole ’76, top cop"
, bc.edu, November 2004.
- ^
"KATHLEEN O'TOOLE"
.
States United Democracy Center
. Retrieved
2022-08-17
.
- ^
Murphy, Anne,
"On her watch: The long, hot summer of Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole '76"
,
Boston College Magazine
, Fall 2005.
- ^
Murphy, Anne (Fall 2005).
"On her watch - BCM - Fall 2005"
.
bcm.bc.edu
. Boston College Magazine
. Retrieved
22 July
2023
.
- ^
Mayor nominates Kathleen O'Toole as next Seattle police chief - Puget Sound Business Journal
- ^
"Kathleen O'Toole?A Law Enforcement Leadership Profile"
(PDF)
.
cops.usdoj.gov
. United States Department of Justice. March 2021
. Retrieved
22 July
2023
.
- ^
"Kathleen M. O'Toole"
(PDF)
. City of Seattle
. Retrieved
22 July
2023
.
- ^
"Commission Investigating the Death of Victoria Snelgrove"
(PDF)
.
cityofboston.gov
. May 25, 2005. p. 14. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on June 10, 2011
. Retrieved
April 25,
2009
– via
Wayback Machine
.
- ^
Smalley, Suzanne (September 17, 2005).
"2 suspended for Fenway shootings"
.
The Boston Globe
. p. 1
. Retrieved
March 15,
2020
– via newspapers.com.
- ^
"Investigative Findings in the Oct. 21, 2004 Fatal Police Shooting of Victoria Snelgrove"
.
mass.gov
(Press release). Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. Archived from
the original
on December 26, 2005
. Retrieved
October 26,
2005
– via
Wayback Machine
.
- ^
Government Statement regarding Reports of the Morris Tribunal
- Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Dublin, Ireland. (archived 2007)
- ^
Kathleen O Toole Director Report ? Irish Company Info ? SoloCheck
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