American female police commissioner, the first for Boston MA, O’Toole received her appointment to the post by the mayor on February 9, 2004, Boston has the oldest police force in the US. She was sworn in on February 19, 2004. The wife of a retired police detective and granddaughter of a police officer, O’Toole has a long career in law enforcement. She has served with the Boston Police, the Metropolitan police, rising to the rank of superintendent, and ultimately became a lieutenant colonel in the state police force.
On July 20, 2000, she was appointed to the post of senior adviser to troubleshoot special development projects and mediate discussions between city officials and community leaders. She stepped into the position on August 1, 2000. The previous year she had headed a special review commission of the Boston Fire Department to ensure equity in hiring and policy administration.
O’Toole has served with the Massachusetts State Police, the Metropolitan Police, and the Boston Police Department as well as having worked in private-sector investigations.. In 1994, she was passed over for the commissioner’s position in favor of her predecessor. In mid-1998, she became a member of an international commission set up to make recommendations for the reform of Northern Ireland’s police force. In May 1998, the highest ranking female member of the state police, she left public service to head Boston College’s Alumni Association.
O’Toole graduated from Boston College in 1976 with a degree in political science. In 1979, she joined the Boston police force and William J. Bratton, who ultimately became top cop in Boston, now in LA, was her mentor. She earned a doctorate in jurisprudence from New England School of Law.
City officials and political watchdogs say O’Toole has a lengthy record of initiating needed change, and has a reputation as a fair and straightforward leader. “She’s definitely ahead of the curve,” said Jim Barry, legislative assistant with the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association. “She’s totally no-nonsense and very politically savvy. She’s a good choice.”
In addition to O’Toole’s law-enforcement experience, she most recently served as president of GPC/O’Neill and Associates, an international public-affairs and communications consulting firm.
O’Toole’s husband is a retired Boston police detective. Her daughter Meghan is a junior at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.
Boston’s police commissioner announced on May 16, 2006 that she has accepted a new position—in Ireland—as commissioner of Garda Siochana, Ireland’s national police force.
Link to Wikipedia biography