Police captain moves on


John Ruch

Nine months into his command of the local E-13 Police Station, Kelley McCormick has been promoted to a downtown deputy superintendent position.

Lt. Michael Kern is now E-13’s acting captain—and has been since June, when McCormick underwent an emergency appendectomy.

“I leave Jamaica Plain with mixed feelings,” McCormick said in a phone interview from Florida, where he is receiving anti-terrorism training. “I had a great time working there. JP people were fantastic…really active partners. The fun stuff is always too short.”

He offered his thanks to the community for its cooperationg and input with E-13 policing.

Boston Police headquarters did not have immediate comment on when a new captain will be named or who it might be.

“The timeframe [for replacement], I’m unaware of,” Kern said, adding that he is not in the running.

McCormick was promoted July 13 to a newly created position overseeing homeland security and anti-terrorism operations and intelligence in the department’s Office of the Chief. McCormick said he will be available to tour the new E-13 commander around the community.

Kern said his goal is “just to maintain the consistency Capt. McCormick had in place.” McCormick said Kern, whom he has worked with in several commands, is “super-competent.”

McCormick was well-received as an energetic and accessible commander, though he spent long periods on sick leave due to unusual medical situations. Besides the appendectomy—an unpleasant surprise that came the day after Father’s Day—he famously donated one of his kidneys to his wife earlier this year.

McCormick took over E-13 amid concerns about frequent turnover over of local police commanders.

“It is concerning,” said City Councilor John Tobin about McCormick’s relatively short tenure. “I thought he was making a lot of headway.”

Tobin said he will call Police Commissioner Ed Davis and request that the next captain remain in place two to three years.

“I know the concern was we had four commanders in four years,” McCormick said, adding that is the nature of the business in some ways. But, he emphasized, while there are changes at the top, the core force and policies remain the same.

“We look to keep the consistency,” he said.

David Taber contributed to this article.

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