U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Branville G. Bard Jr. Appointed as Police Commissioner

caution sign The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 7 years ago.

Bard Headshot

City Manager Louis A. DePasquale today announced that Branville G. Bard, Jr. has been selected as Cambridge’s Police Commissioner.

“I am pleased to appoint Mr. Bard as our next Police Commissioner. He has a proven track record and will be a strong leader for our 21st-century police department,” City Manager Louis A. DePasquale said. “I am confident that under Mr. Bard’s leadership, the Cambridge Police Department (CPD) will continue growing its commitment to community policing, crime prevention, cultural awareness and sensitivity, department-wide equity and inclusiveness, procedural justice, and visionary, effective, and strong police leadership.”

Bard currently serves as the Chief of Police and the Director of Public Safety for the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s Police Department. Prior to this, he served in numerous positions for the Philadelphia Police Department, including Police Inspector, and Police Captain for the 22nd District. Bard holds a Doctorate in Public Administration from Valdosta State University. Bard's contact is for 3 years with a starting salary of $210,125 ( $205,000 base salary with a 2.5% cost of living increase that went into effect July 1). His first official day as Commissioner is August 21.

“It is a tremendous honor to be appointed as the next Commissioner of the Cambridge Police Department,” Bard said. “This is a nationally regarded and accomplished department and I am committed to building on the success of CPD’s talented and established personnel, programs and collaborations.” 

“I am pleased that we were able to involve so many people in the Commissioner search process and tat the public was able to hear directly from Mr. Bard during the process,” City Manager DePasquale said “I hope the entire community will join me in welcoming incoming Commissioner Bard and I look forward to introducing him to the community in the coming months.”

###

Timeline for Police Commissioner Search Process

January 2017

  • Engaged the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to assist with the search process.

February/March 2017

  • PERF conducted interviews and focus groups with department staff, key stakeholder groups, and the public at large.
  • PERF developed recruitment profile and began accepting applications in early March.
    • The Commissioner posting was advertised in PERF, IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police), NOBLE (National Org of Black Law Enforcement Executives), HAPCOA (Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association), NAWLEE (National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives), and the City’s website/job listings.
    • PERF also conducted targeted outreach to individuals based on PERF’s knowledge and based on recommendations from others public safety leaders.

April 2017

  • Applications from candidates were accepted until April 7.
  • 39 applications were received.
  • Initial background screenings were conducted by PERF, and they delivered the results and recommendations to the City.
  • After discussion of PERF recommendations, 5 candidates were selected for interview.

May 2017

  • Interviews were conducted by City Staff and community stakeholders in early May.
    • Participants on the two panels included:

      Panel A
      Name Position
      Bishop Brian Greene Police Chaplain
      Ann Fleck-Henderson City Manager Advisory Committee member
      Frank Pedro City Manager Advisory Committee member
      Lisa Peterson Deputy City Manager
      Joshua A. Reyes City Manager Advisory Committee member
      Ellen Semonoff Asst. City Manager/Human Service Programs
      Lisa Thurau Police Commissioner Advisory Board
      Rev. Ellis Washington City Manager Advisory Committee member
      Panel B
      Name Position
      Betsy Allen Director/Equity and Inclusion
      Andrea Brown Chief Administrative Officer/Police
      Brian Corr Peace Commission/Police Review and Advisory Board
      Louis DePasquale City Manager
      Lee Gianetti Director/Communications and Community Relations
      Christina Giacobbe Director/Emergency Communications & 911
      Nancy Glowa City Solicitor
      Sheila Keady Rawson Personnel Director
      Brent Larrabee Acting Police Commissioner
      Robert Wasserman Public Safety Advisor
  • From those five, the City Manager expected to name two candidates as finalists.

June 2017

  • One candidate under consideration withdrew from the process, leaving Chief Branville G. Bard Jr. as the sole candidate (NOTE: Because Chief Bard was a highly-qualified candidate, the City Manager decided to keep the process moving forward with only one finalist).
  • Chief Bard was brought in for a series of meetings with City Manager, Deputy City Manager, and City Staff. Also, Chief Bard was introduced to and met with Mayor E. Denise Simmons.
  • City Manager announced Chief Bard as the finalist on June 16.
  • Public Community Forum held in Library Auditorium on June 20. Forum was recorded and rebroadcast on 22-Cityview and available on YouTube.
  • Panel meetings with Chief Bard were conducted on 6/21. Each of the panels below were attended by the City Manager, Deputy City Manager and Personnel Director. Panels and participants were:
    Public Safety
    Name Position
    Joseph Barr Director/Traffic, Parking & Transportation
    Brian Corr Director/Police Review & Advisory Board; Peace Commission
    John DiFava MIT Police Chief
    Christina Giacobbe Director/Emergency Communications & 911
    Robert Haas Former Police Commissioner
    Brent Larrabee Acting Police Commissioner
    Gerard Mahoney Acting Fire Chief
    James Maloney Chief of Operations, Cambridge Schools
    Francis Riley Harvard Police Chief
    Joseph Wilson Superintendent, Cambridge Police
    Andrea Brown Chief Administrative Officer, Cambridge Police
    Social Services
    Name Position
    Mark Albanese Director, Adult Outpatient Psychiatry & Addictions Cambridge Health Alliance
    Claude Jacob Chief Public Health Officer
    Mike Johnston Director/Cambridge Housing Authority
    Mark McGovern Healthcare for the Homeless
    Risa Mednick Transition House
    Kenny Salim Superintendent, Cambridge Public Schools
    Elizabeth Speakman Coordinator of the Cambridge Initiative on Domestic and Gender Based Violence Prevention
    Carolyn Turk Asst. Superintendent, Cambridge Public Schools
    Youth Panel
    Name Position
    Approximately 10 high school students/college students Mayor Summer Youth Program Councillors
    Ellen Semonoff Assistant City Manager for Human Services
    Nancy Tauber Executive Director of the Family Policy Council
  • Chief Bard had small group meetings with the following City Councilors: Jan Devereux, Craig Kelley, Dennis Carlone, Leland Cheung, Marc McGovern and Nadeem Mazen.
  • Chief Bard toured the Robert W. Healy Public Safety building and informally met numerous police department staff during his building visit.
  • Chief Bard had additional interviews with the City Manager and Deputy City Manager.

July 2017

  • Additional reference and background checks conducted, including onsite visits in Philadelphia, PA.
  • The City Manager extends offer of employment to Chief Bard.
Page was posted on 5/8/2018 6:56 PM
Page was last modified on 7/24/2023 9:55 PM
Contact Us

How can we help?

Please provide as much detail below as possible so City staff can respond to your inquiry:

As a governmental entity, the Massachusetts Public Records Law applies to records made or received by the City. Any information received through use of this site is subject to the same provisions as information provided on paper.

Read our complete privacy statement


Service Requests

Enter a service request via SeeClickFix for things like missed trash pickups, potholes, etc., click here