Suffolk County Sheriff's Department is a law enforcement agency responsible for maintaining "custody and control of inmates and pre-trial detainees" in Suffolk County, MA. The Suffolk County Sheriff's Department manages the The Suffolk County Jail, often known as the "Suffolk County House of Corrections." Until 2019, the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department maintained an agreement with US Immigration and Customs (ICE), through which ICE used the Suffolk County Jail to cage migrants (predominantly Black and Brown) prior to their deportations. The Suffolk County Sheriff's Department ended this agreement with ICE in 2019, after which Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tomkins has advocated that the jail's additional capacity be put to use for the caging of area residents who lack access to housing.
For more information on policing in Massachusetts, see entry on Boston Police.
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AIPAC hosted Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tomkins as a speaker at AIPAC's 2020 annual conference.
In 2016, Sheriff Steven Tompkins of the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department participated in the "Massachusetts Counter-Terrorism Seminar in Israel," as part of an all-expenses-paid delegation of US law enforcement to Israel sponsored by the New England chapter of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Other Suffolk County Sheriff's Department officials also participated in a similar ADL-sponsored delegation in 2011. The New England Chapter of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) sponsors annual all-expenses-paid delegations to Israel for high-ranking New England police, ICE, FBI, and other security officials, where these officials meet with Israeli military, police, and intelligence agencies, with whom they train and exchange tactics including surveillance, racial profiling, crowd control, and the containment of protests.
The Suffolk County Sheriff's Office is listed as a full member of the Greater Boston Police Council, a "law enforcement council" (LEC) set up in the 1970s to link regional police forces and share resources for policing anti-war protests. LECs in Massachusetts have played a central role in militarizing police by organizing SWAT teams and purchasing military equipment such as Lenco Bearcats and other armored vehicles.
The Suffolk County Sheriff's Department manages the The Suffolk County Jail, often known as the "Suffolk County House of Corrections." Until 2019, the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department maintained an agreement with US Immigration and Customs (ICE), through which ICE used the Suffolk County Jail to cage migrants (predominantly Black and Brown) prior to their deportations. The Suffolk County Sheriff's Department ended this agreement with ICE in 2019, after which Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tomkins has advocated that the jail's additional capacity be put to use for the caging of area residents who lack access to housing.
The Suffolk County Jail is under the management of the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department. Until 2019, the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department maintained an agreement with US Immigration and Customs (ICE), through which ICE used the Suffolk County Jail to cage migrants (predominantly Black and Brown) prior to their deportations. The Suffolk County Jail ended this agreement with ICE in 2019, after which Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tomkins has advocated that the jail's additional capacity be put to use for the caging of area residents who lack access to housing.