Steven W. Tompkins is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

law enforcement official who has served as the Sheriff of Suffolk County, MA since 2013.

Background

Tompkins received a bachelor's degree in communications from

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

and a master's degree in public affairs from the

University of Massachusetts, Boston The University of Massachusetts Boston (stylized as UMass Boston) is a public research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the only public research university in Boston and the third-largest campus in the five-campus University of Massac ...

. Prior to entering law enforcement, Tompkins was the director of marketing and public affairs at

Dimock Community Health Center The New England Hospital for Women and Children was founded by Marie Zakrzewska on July 1, 1862. The Hospitals goal was to provide patients with competent female physicians, educate women in the study of medicine and train nurses to care for the ...

. Tompkins started working at the

Suffolk County Sheriff's Department Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowestof ...

in 2002 as a chief of external affairs and communications for Sheriff

Andrea Cabral Andrea J. Cabral (born 1959) is an American lawyer and former Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety and sheriff of Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Background Cabral is a native of East Providence, Rhode Island. She is a graduate of Boston Co ...

. During this time he also served as a political advisor for

Senator Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as a pr ...

. He worked on Warren's

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Senate campaign.

Suffolk County Sheriff

Tompkins was appointed to the role of Sheriff in 2013 by Governor Deval Patrick to replace Andrea Cabral and was subsequently elected to the position in 2014. He was reelected to the position in 2016. During his tenure Tompkins has been active in state Democractic politics including an unsuccessful run for chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party. He also received attention as one of several prominent Black officials, along with District Attorney Rachael Rollins and Police Commissioner

William G. Gross William G. Gross (, born c. 1964) is a former American police officer who served as Commissioner of the Boston Police Department for 29 months, from August 2018 to January 2021. Early life and education Gross was born in rural Maryland to a sin ...

, in major criminal legal system roles in Boston when their terms overlapped starting in 2019. In 2019 Governor Charlie Baker appointed Tompkins to chair the

Roxbury Community College Roxbury Community College (RCC) is a public community college in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. RCC offers associate degrees in arts, and sciences, as well as certificates. RCC has transfer agreements with Curry College, North ...

board of trustees. During the

2016 Democratic Party presidential primary Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 4,051 delegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention held July 25–28 and determine the nominee for president in the 2016 United States presidential e ...

, Tompkins endorsed the

candidacy Candidacy is a rite which takes place during Roman Catholic seminary formation, by which the Church recognizes the seminarian as worthy of being ordained (hence, they become a "candidate" for ordination to the priesthood). With the liturgical ref ...

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

. During the

2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 3,979 pledged delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention held on August 17–20 to determine the party's nominee for president in the 2020 Unit ...

, Tompkins endorsed Elizabeth Warren's

. He spoke at Warren's formal campaign launch.

ICE Contract

In 2018 Tompkins oversaw the ending of a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which had been active since 2003. At the time the contract ended 182 ICE detainees were incarcerated in Suffolk County facilities and Tompkins began incarcerating women in pretrial detention from Plymouth, Essex, and Norfolk counties in the newly available space in South Bay House of Correction.

Deaths in Suffolk County Jails

Tompkins and the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department has faced pressure from advocates following deaths in Suffolk County jails. In 2021 in particular four deaths in quick succession between July and September of people incarcerated at South Bay House of Correction and Nashua Street Jail sparked protests and calls for transparency and accountability for the circumstances of the deaths. Following these events another person, Charail Premdas, died while incarcerated for a total of five deaths in Suffolk County jails during 2021. In July 2022, the death of Ashley Emma, another person incarcerated at South Bay House of Correction, sparked further protest.

Controversies

In 2015, Tompkins paid a $2,500 fine after admitting to using his badge to improperly coerce eight store owners into taking down signs for his political opponents. In 2021, Tompkins proposed forced treatment of substance use disorders in Suffolk county facilities for unhoused people in Boston, especially those living in the Mass and Cass neighborhood. He faced criticism for this suggestion by advocates who believed forced treatment in the environment of the criminal legal system was inappropriate. In October 2021 Acting Mayor Kim Janey implemented many elements of this plan through an executive order with actual evictions starting in early November. The evictions garnered further controversy with unhoused people being arrested in line for medication and being sent to jail instead of treatment. The ACLU of Massachusetts also filed a class action lawsuit to stop arrests of unhoused people in the area. In 2023, Tompkins paid a $12,300 fine for breaking state ethics law by creating a paid position for his niece and making his staff do his personal errands.

Personal life

Tompkins' wife, Suzanne Tompkins, passed away in 2016 from complications of systemic lupus.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tompkins, Steven W. Sheriffs of Suffolk County, Massachusetts Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences alumni University of Massachusetts Boston alumni Massachusetts Democrats Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Massachusetts sheriffs