2023 Community Policing Award Recipient
The Community Policing Award is presented to an individual whose efforts have strongly assisted to develop and instill Community Policing as a philosophy that promotes the establishment of collaborative partnerships between law enforcement and the individuals and organizations they serve.
Superintendent Nora Baston is a 27-year veteran of the Boston Police Department who has served as a member of the command staff for 16 years and holds the civil service rank of lieutenant detective. In 2007, Baston was appointed by then Commissioner Ed Davis to the rank of deputy superintendent of the Safe Street Teams Initiative and in 2018 she was appointed to the rank of superintendent where she served as chief of the inaugural Bureau of Community Engagement. Since joining the command staff, she has also served as the department's homeless liaison, commander of the Community Support Division and zone commander for the Bureau of Field Services. Among her many accomplishments, she is most proud of having been the commander of the Safe Street Teams Initiative, where under her leadership they were recognized by the IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police) in 2011 with the Community Policing Award and the Excellence in Law Enforcement Research Award. Superintendent Nora Baston has advanced through the ranks and is currently the Chief of the Bureau of Professional Development; as well as the fourth female appointed to the rank of superintendent in the department’s history.
For over 18 years, Superintendent Baston has continued to develop deep and meaningful relationships with the community by engaging with all neighborhoods throughout the city of Boston. She is relentless in her dedication to bridging the gaps between the police and the community. She has built lifelong partnerships and friendships through her work in all neighborhoods but her ability to mentor inner city youth is what she is most driven by. Superintendent Baston’s passion has created pathways of possibility for Boston youth to have positive interactions and community-based engagements with the department, allowing them to see themselves as potential future officers, business leaders, non-profit leaders and role models of achievement, excellence and expertise. Superintendent Baston is a product of the Boston Public Schools and graduated from the Boston Latin School. She went on to complete both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Criminal Justice at UMass Lowell.