Robert Molloy appointed acting chief of police
Search for new chief is under way
Robert Molloy, a 19-year veteran of the Boston University Police Department, was named acting chief of police at the start of the semester. He will serve in the position until a new permanent chief is named sometime this spring.
“I’ve always found Bob to be very professional, knowledgeable about police work in general, and a good colleague,” says Peter Fiedler, the vice president of administrative services, who appointed Molloy.
Molloy, whose father was an officer with the Boston Police Department, began his career as a patrol officer in Houston, Tex., before coming to BU in 1987. “I knew from my father that this was a good department,” he says. “And it’s been a great experience. Over the years we’ve developed more effective strategies in fighting crime and reaching out to the community, and we’re still looking for new and innovative ways to do that.”
In his two decades on the BU force, Molloy says, the most significant changes have taken place within the community policing division. “Now we’re more involved and more in contact with people,” he says, citing as examples the bicycle patrols, the Rape Aggression Defense program, and the creation of a more effective investigative bureau.
As acting chief, Molloy hopes to continue to improve the department’s community policing work and assess the BUPD’s resource allocation to ensure that officers are being used effectively. “My biggest priority,” he says, “is to become even more involved than we have been in the past.”
Molloy, who holds a degree in urban affairs from Metropolitan College, lives in Pelham, N.H., with his wife. He has three children.
The search for a new chief is under way; the search firm Police Executive Research Forum presented the BU search committee with a group of candidates, and 16 have been selected for further consideration. The committee includes Fiedler; Ed King, vice president of government and community affairs; Daryl DeLuca, judicial affairs director; Kenneth Elmore, dean of students; Manuel Monteiro, associate vice president for human resources; Linda Wells, College of General Studies dean; and Michael Rosen, associate general counsel.
“It’s an incredibly strong candidate pool,” Fiedler says. “I’m very pleased with the caliber of the applicants and excited about the opportunity for the police department.”