Dozens of Republican, Democrat, and Nonpartisan Law Enforcement Officials, Community Advocates, Service Providers, and Members of the Legal Community Support DA Rachael Rollins’ Nomination for US Attorney

Former US Attorneys—Including Former Republican Governor Bill Weld—and Current and Former Suffolk County Law Enforcement Executives Support Rollins’ Nomination

Citing Her Extensive Law Enforcement Credentials, the Leaders Urge the Judiciary Committee to Swiftly and Favorably Advance Rollins’ Nomination

Washington, D.C. - Today, dozens of Republican, Democrat and nonpartisan law enforcement officials, community advocates, service providers, and members of the legal community sent letters to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Ranking Member Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) expressing their unequivocal support of Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins, President Joseph Biden’s nominee to be the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.

Citing her extensive law enforcement credentials and proven track record of reducing crime, the leaders urged the United States Senate Judiciary Committee to swiftly and favorably advance D.A. Rollins’ nomination, and for the Senate to ultimately confirm her as U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) recommended District Attorney Rollins for the U.S. Attorney role.

Among those submitting letters in support of D.A. Rollin’s nomination are:

“Each of us have worked closely with DA Rollins on pressing and significant issues within our respective jurisdictions. She is responsive, attentive, and diligent. Her focus is on victims and how the community is impacted by violence and harm… We know how vitally important it is that local and state law enforcement have a healthy partnership with federal law enforcement officials. In Massachusetts, we already have strong working relationships. We have no doubt that DA Rollins will continue fostering and growing these important relationships to ensure the continued safety and wellbeing of our Commonwealth’s residents,” said Suffolk County Law Enforcement Executives in their letter: Chief Brian Kyes, Chelsea Police Department; Colonel Christopher Mason, Massachusetts State Police; Chief David Callahan, Revere Police Department; Commissioner Gregory Long (Acting), Boston Police Department; Chief  James Guido (Retired), Revere Police Department; Chief Kenneth Green, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Police Department; Chief Terence Delehanty, Winthrop Police Department; Commissioner William Gross (Retired), Boston Police Department.

“Rachael Rollins was elected as District Attorney with a mandate to change this system. As District Attorney, Rachael Rollins repeatedly demonstrated her willingness to challenge the status quo in our justice system and to address systemic inequities that exist. I have no doubt that she will continue to bring this commitment to this important federal role,” said Attorney General Maura Healey in her letter.

“I know District Attorney Rachael Rollins well, and believe she is perfectly positioned to serve as a benevolent change agent in federal law enforcement in Boston, including crime prevention as well as criminal prosecutions. As an elected District Attorney in Massachusetts’ largest county, she is well known for her clearly enunciated policies to attack poverty, mental illness and substance abuse disorders—the root causes of most crime—through treatment and alternative dispositions. I have spent many hours with Rachael Rollins discussing these issues, and from the beginning I have been impressed by her passion for justice and, frankly, the clarity of her thinking. She will be a great U.S. Attorney,” said Bill Weld, former Governor of Massachusetts and U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, in his letter.

“Attorney Rollins has displayed the qualities of leadership, empathy, excellence, and persistence in supporting and defending the U.S. Constitution while ensuring equal protection and justice for all Americans. This has been exhibited in her role as Suffolk County District Attorney,” said Dwayne A. Crawford, Executive Director, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, in his letter.

“Rachael has all the important technical and legal knowledge and experiences that are the foundation for those United States Attorneys, that are viewed as most successful and are most respected…. Rachael has rightfully earned an exceptional reputation and is known for working well with all within our justice system, including investigators, colleagues, defense attorneys, the Court, victims, and witnesses and the communities and neighborhoods being served. Rachael is conscientious and always open minded in her pursuit of fairness and justice,” said Michael J. Sullivan, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, in his letter.

“Based on my personal knowledge of the duties of the position for which she has been nominated, and further my knowledge of her accomplishments throughout her distinguished career, I am pleased and honored to strongly recommend that you favorably advance her name for confirmation and to ultimately confirm her as the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. I do so without hesitation, qualification, or condition,” said Wayne Budd, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, in his letter.

“I have known Rachael for many years, as a lawyer in the Boston-area legal community, as an appointee in our administration when I was governor, and as District Attorney in Boston. She has earned a reputation for integrity, earnestness, candor, determination, and hard work. She has consistently sought to make the most of the assignments she has taken on, not for her own  sake but for the benefit of the people she serves. Notable recent examples include her efforts to emphasize treatment over punishment in minor drug matters and to develop a more vigorous partnership between local and federal prosecutors. Rachael has shown herself to be a smart, effective servant leader,” said Deval Patrick, former Governor of Massachusetts and former U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, in his letter.

“DA Rollins is an extraordinary candidate who is known and respected for her bold and unbridled voice in speaking to the legacy and taint of racism in our criminal justice system. NAACP leaders have had the opportunity to work alongside her and have witnessed the integrity with which she leads and carries out her commitment, particularly as it pertains to her vision for the criminal justice system and her initial pledge regarding the low-level, non-violent offenses in the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop,” said Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of NAACP, in his letter.

“DA Rollins’ sense of empathy and compassion, combined with her demonstrated intellect and legal aptitude, is needed at the highest levels of federal prosecution. These qualities make DA Rollins a perfect fit for a United States Attorney,” said Robert Trestan, Regional Director, Anti-Defamation League New England, in his letter.

“Throughout the past several years, we have been able to build a relationship with her office staff through multiple initiatives that impact the survivors that we work with every day. We have witnessed her ability to lead and take action, and we believe that she would make important contributions as the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts,” said Duane de Four, Interim Executive Director, Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, in his letter.

“She supports the people she serves, holds herself and her leaders accountable, and puts people over politics.  I’ve worked side by side with District Attorney Rollins on some of the most trying cases of my career, and I can say without a doubt she would be an asset to any organization lucky enough to have her,” said Terence M. Delehanty, Chief of Police & Interim Town Manager of Winthrop, in his letter.

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