Rollins Sworn In as First Woman Suffolk County DA, First Female Person of Color DA in MA

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History was made is often a cliche description of many things. History is always being made. But after being sworn in as the District Attorney for Suffolk County, Rachael Rollins truly made history -- by being the first woman person of color to be a DA in Massachusetts -- and she's also the first woman to be our county's DA.

“We have a big job ahead of us – changing perceptions and expectations of how the criminal justice system can best serve the community, and how necessary other disciplines are to our shared success,” said Rollins at the ceremony held on Wednesday at the Roxbury Community College. “Professionals in education, medical and mental health, social services, housing, and many other fields all play a part in public safety and we need their collaboration as surely as we need police and prosecutors. Positive change is in the air, and I’m looking forward to achieving it together with the people of Suffolk County.”

Rollins was sworn in by Geraldine Hines, a former associate justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, who was the first woman of color to serve on that high court. Rollins then sworn in approximately 150 Suffolk County prosecutors, who will be out of her office.

Rollins beat out four worthy opponents in the Democratic primary and then easily defeated an independent candidate in the November final.

Her work experience includes serving as a field attorney for the National Labor Relations Board in Boston, a federal prosecutor with the US Attorney's office in Boston for four years and general counsel for MassDOT and the MBTA. She was also the chief legal counsel for the Massachusetts Port Authority.

Throughout the campaign trail, Rollins called for reforming and improving the criminal justice system.

"I will be creating and filling with subject area experts as well as residents of Suffolk County (e.g., Opioid Epidemic, Unsolved Homicides, Cash Bail System, Mental Heath Crisis, Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System, User Experience), or attending the quarterly reporting and listening tours/ meetings out in the community that I will be implementing," said Rollins to Jamaica Plain News prior to the primary.

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