Hayden sworn in to 1st full term as Suffolk DA
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin R. Hayden was sworn into office Monday evening at Roxbury Community College, marking the beginning of his first full term as the county’s top law enforcement official.
“Thank you to all the residents of Suffolk County and your commitment to what is right, good, fair, and just, and your concern for public safety and the support of those impacted by crime,” Hayden said at the ceremony, according to a copy of his prepared remarks.
The Roslindale resident served as the chairman of the state’s Sex Offender Registry Board before he was tapped by the former governor, Charlie Baker, in January 2022 to serve out the remainder of Rachael Rollins’s term as DA after she was appointed US Attorney for Massachusetts.
“When I returned to the office about a year ago it was exciting and surreal,” Hayden said Monday, according to the prepared speech. “The honor of returning to where my career began, to an office and county that has always had my heart, to a calling to serve as leader of this great office, was extraordinary and is still somewhat difficult to even put into words.”
In September, Hayden beat out Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo in a Democratic primary for the office, ending a contest that was rife with controversy.
Hayden, seen as the more centrist and status quo candidate, had never run for public office before and had to weather criticism of his handling of a police misconduct case in the weeks prior to the primary.
In the run-up to primary day, he faced questions, criticism, and calls for an outside probe after a Globe investigation exposed a coverup by MBTA Transit Police officers and raised questions about how prosecutors handled the case.
As district attorney, Hayden has made guns his hallmark issue, and at his swearing-in, he touted his office’s work in that regard.
“And I declare here today that our best and brightest days of community safety, and neighborhood security, and systemic reform still lay ahead,” Hayden said.
Yet to come, Hayden said, will be the creation of the Suffolk County DA Youth Engagement Council and the Emerging Adult Alternative Resolution Program.
The council, Hayden said, will be made up of young people and will work to gain a better understanding of the factors at play in youth violence, and how to create effective prevention strategies.
The Emerging Adult Alternative Resolution Program will offer alternatives to prosecution for Suffolk County’s young adult population.