As a varsity football player and resident of Kirkland House, Brad Bailey '80 got to know the Harvard police pretty well.
"Kirkland also tended to be an athletic house then and we had our share of parties," said Bailey. "While I certainly didn't have any run-ins with the police, I was on very good terms with them. In fact, I was friends with many of them."
Bailey, 37, the new sheriff of Middlesex County, the county which includes Cambridge, is on even better terms with Harvard University police (HUPD) today. In fact, over the past four weeks, he's been stopping by HUPD headquarters to officially swear in the Harvard police as deputy sheriffs.
According to country law, whenever a new sheriff takes office, he must re-deputize all of the special officers, such as university police. The occasion has given Bailey an opportunity to strengthen his ties to his alma matter and catch up with some old friends at the HUPD.
"When I was a student the department was in Grays Hall," said Bailey, who concentrated in modern European history as an undergraduate. "It was very eye- opening to see the modern facilities and roomy quarters compared to the cramped basement they used to operate out of."
"I saw a good number of old familiar faces that I remembered from my days as a student," he said.
Bailey, who went on to the University of Virginia Law School after graduation, has had a long career in law enforcement. He worked as a Mafia-busting federal prosecutor in Manhattan in the 1980s and later as district attorney here in Middlesex County.
In 1994, Bailey ran for Congress as a self-proclaimed "law and order" Republican. And while he did not win election, he did make the governor of Massachusetts take notice: Later that year Gov. William F. Weld '66 tapped Bailey as the new Middlesex County Sheriff.
The post of sheriff is usually elected in Massachusetts, but Bailey was chosen by appointment because his predecessor, John McGonigle, left office in the wake of corruption charges. In 1996, Bailey will have run for election, a much easier Bailey's law enforcement career came full circle and brought him back to Harvard this June, when, in keeping with Harvard tradition, he officially opened the Commencement exercises. "Having been a student at Harvard, the fun and distinction of opening and closing commencement exer- The swearing-in ceremonies Bailey has been leading over the last month at the 29 Garden St. head quarters of the Harvard police also center around tradition. "There's a lengthy oath about observing the Constitution and the laws of the Commonwealth. It's a formal ceremony in which everybody raises their right hand, and does, in fact, swear paragraph by paragraph," he said. Bailey started swearing in Harvard officers about a month ago and finished the final group last week. Paul E. Johnson, Harvard's police chief, said he appreciates having a Harvard grad as the county sheriff. "He's very knowledgeable about Harvard obviously, and it does make it more interesting for both him and myself," Johnson said. "But of course this is still business." "We're glad to see him in [the position]," said Johnson. Though he said he has not been consulted in any official capacity about Harvard's on-going search for a new chief of police, Bailey does have advice for the person who will try to fill the shoes of out-going Chief Paul E. Johnson. "Whoever comes into that position has to have an understanding of the wealth of tradition at the University and the ability to interact with the undergrads and grads," Bailey said. "And most importantly, the person should be able to motivate and be there for the men and women who work there," he said. Bailey said he remains committed to maintaining close ties between the Middle sex County sheriff's office and Harvard. In fact, he added, his press assistant, Nicole Anzuoni '95, was a June graduate of Winthrop House
Read more in News
To Our Readers
