Francis Roache
Roache as Commissioner of Police of Boston
Suffolk County Register of Deeds
In office
2002 – December 31, 2015
Preceded byPaul R. Tierney
Succeeded byStephen J. Murphy
Member of the Boston City Council
In office
1996–2002
Preceded byJohn A. Nucci
Succeeded byFelix D. Arroyo
Boston Police Commissioner
In office
March 13, 1985 – June 30, 1993
Appointed byRaymond Flynn
Preceded byJoseph M. Jordan
Succeeded byWilliam Bratton
Personal details
Born(1936-08-03)August 3, 1936
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedDecember 17, 2018(2018-12-17) (aged 82)
SpouseBarbara Campers
ChildrenBarbara, Donna, Paula, Michael, and Lori
Alma materBoston State College
OccupationPoliceman and politician
Military service
Branch/service United States Marine Corps

Francis Michael Roache[1] (August 3, 1936 – December 17, 2018) was an American law enforcement officer and politician who served as the Boston Police Commissioner from 1985 to 1993. He was also a member of the Boston City Council from 1996 to 2002 and was Suffolk County Register of Deeds from 2002 to 2015.

Early life and education

Roache was born in South Boston, and was a 1954 graduate of South Boston High School.[2] He then served in the United States Marine Corps until 1959,[2] and worked for Sears Roebuck in The Fenway neighborhood of Boston for 10 years,[3] while attending Boston State College.[4]

Career

Roache (left) being sworn in as Police Commissioner by Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn in 1985
From left: two policemen, Roache, Raymond Flynn
Roache giving a speech

Law enforcement

Roache joined the Boston Police Department (BPD) in 1968.[5] On February 1, 1985, as a lieutenant who headed the BPD's Community Disorders Unit,[6] Roache was appointed acting Police Commissioner.[7] On March 13, he was sworn in as permanent Commissioner by his lifelong friend, Mayor of Boston Raymond Flynn.[8][9]

During his tenure as Commissioner, Roache instituted mandatory drug testing for BPD employees and won praise for his efforts to root out corruption in the department.[8][10]

Roache was Commissioner during the Charles Stuart case.[11] The police's mishandling of the case caused African-American leaders to call for Roache's resignation.[12] In December 1990, the Massachusetts Attorney General's office released a report which detailed a variety of civil rights violations committed by the BPD. Violations described in the report included random frisking of minority youth and coercing witnesses to testify in the Stuart case.[13]

After several shootings of unarmed victims by police, alleged mismanagement in the Internal Affairs Department, and a report issued by United States Attorney Wayne Budd detailing allegations of police misconduct, Mayor Flynn was pressured to fire Roache.[14][15] Flynn refused to fire Roache, which caused critics of the police department to claim that Roache's friendship with the Mayor was the reason he was still Commissioner. During the 1991 mayoral election, candidate Edward J. Doherty promised that if elected, he would fire Roache.[16] Flynn appointed a commission led by Boston attorney James D. St. Clair to investigate the BPD. The commission recommended that Flynn fire Roache.[17] On June 24, 1993, Roache announced his resignation, effective June 30.[18]

Politics

After his resignation, Roache became a candidate for mayor of Boston in the 1993 election to succeed Ray Flynn, who had resigned to become United States Ambassador to the Holy See. Roache finished in seventh place in the preliminary election with 3.01% of the vote.[19]

Roache was elected to the Boston City Council in November 1995 as an at-large councilor.[20] He was reelected in 1997, 1999, and 2001. In 2002, he left the City Council to become Suffolk County registrar of deeds, a position he held until his resignation on December 31, 2015.[8][21]

Personal life

Roache and his wife, Barbara (née Campers), raised five children: Barbara, Donna, Paula, Michael, and Lori.[22] They resided in Quincy, Massachusetts, and later the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston.[2] He was a practicing Roman Catholic, often attending mass daily.[2] Roache died on December 17, 2018, at the age of 82.[5][2]

References

  1. ^ Quill, Ed (February 1, 1985). "Francis M. Roache—laid-back, yet 'tough'". The Boston Globe. p. 1. Retrieved December 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e Valencia, Milton J. (December 17, 2018). "Former Boston Police Commissioner Francis 'Mickey' Roache dies at 82". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  3. ^ Quill, Ed (February 1, 1985). "Francis M. Roache—laid-back, yet 'tough' (cont'd)". The Boston Globe. p. 2. Retrieved December 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "What is Boston Police Commission Francis M. Roache's background?". The Boston Globe. December 27, 1987. p. 35. Retrieved December 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b Szaniszlo, Marie (December 17, 2018). "Former Boston Police Commissioner Francis 'Mickey' Roache dies". Boston Herald. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  6. ^ "Blacks Return To Boston Project Decade After Uproar". Associated Press. April 15, 1984. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  7. ^ "3 killed, 3 wounded in Boston violence". Associated Press. February 4, 1985. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  8. ^ a b c Scharfenberg, David (January 6, 2016). "Suffolk Register of Deeds Resigns". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  9. ^ Quill, Ed (March 13, 1985). "Roache to be Sworn in Today as Permanent Commissioner". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  10. ^ "Drug testing ordered for all Boston Police". Sentinel wire services. April 25, 1986. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
  11. ^ "Outrage follows Boston shootings". Associated Press. October 25, 1989. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  12. ^ "Racial tensions boil over in Boston over murder". United Press International. January 6, 1990. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  13. ^ "State faults Boston murder investigation". Associated Press. December 19, 1990. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  14. ^ "For 3rd time, mayor throws hat into ring". Associated Press. July 28, 1991. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  15. ^ "Channel 4 issues call for Roache's resignation". The Boston Globe. October 10, 1991. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  16. ^ Locy, Toni; Sean P. Murphy (September 4, 1991). "Many call for changes in police leadership". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  17. ^ Jackson, Derrick Z. (January 5, 1992). "A call for Flynn to make his legacy". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  18. ^ "Police commissioner quits". Associated Press. June 25, 1993. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  19. ^ "Election Results". Cityofboston.gov. The City of Boston. Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  20. ^ Walker, Adrian (September 20, 1995). "O'Neil, Roache win big Iannella is 3d, Davis-Mullen 4th in council preliminary". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  21. ^ Silberman, Ellen J. (September 19, 2002). "First Latino to join Hub City Council when Roache assumes Register post". Boston Herald. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  22. ^ Walker, Adrian (July 29, 1993). "Roache Sees a City Enjoying Diversity in '97". The Boston Globe. p. 28. Retrieved December 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Francis Roache.
Police appointments Preceded byJoseph M. Jordan Commissioner of the Boston Police Department 1985–1993 Succeeded byWilliam J. Bratton Government offices Preceded byJohn A. Nucci At-large member of the Boston City Council 1996–2002 Succeeded byFelix D. Arroyo Preceded byPaul R. Tierney Suffolk County Register of Deeds 2002–2015 Succeeded byStephen J. Murphy
Commissioners of Boston Police Department
Categories