A Massachusetts organization dedicated to uplifting people of color in the criminal justice field has named Northeastern’s Michael Davis a distinguished fellow.
Davis, who serves as the university’s vice president for global safety and policing, was recognized by the George Lewis Ruffin Society during an induction ceremony at Northeastern’s Alumni Center on Wednesday night.
Founded 40 years ago in collaboration with Northeastern, the Ruffin Society’s board member, Jack McDevitt, a professor emeritus, noted that Davis was an obvious choice among the first 18 honorees.
“He’s excelled at enhancing public safety across Northeastern’s campuses while managing the complexities of a global student body,” McDevitt remarked. “With students on co-op opportunities all over the world, the requirements for ensuring everyone’s safety at Northeastern have evolved significantly—from securing dormitory safety to facilitating safe returns from conflict zones.”
“Davis has truly embraced this broader mission,” McDevitt added.
In response, Davis expressed his gratitude for the recognition from his peers, particularly as he is not originally from Massachusetts.
Davis joined Northeastern in 2013, coming from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, where he was the chief of police. Since then, he has earned a doctorate in law and policy from Northeastern.
He expressed his appreciation for the diverse backgrounds of the other honorees that evening. Alongside Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, the group included MBTA Transit Police Chief Kenneth Green, Suffolk County District Attorney Keith Hayde, Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow, and others.
“We have a strong partnership with the Boston Police Department, and it’s crucial to maintain these relationships globally,” Davis noted.
“It’s wonderful to gather and be recognized for our collective efforts,” he added, mentioning his role as an adviser to the American Law Institute’s Principles of the Law, Policing project, which developed guidelines for best practices in policing.
Another honoree with ties to Northeastern was the new Somerville Police Chief, Shumeane Benford, who began his law enforcement career in security at the university in 1992.
“Northeastern helped me attend my first police academy,” said Benford, a lifelong resident of Boston who previously served as the Boston Housing Authority’s police chief and as chief of emergency management for the city.
Keynote speaker Jonathan Tynes, an associate justice of the Boston Municipal Court, is an alumnus of Northeastern University School of Law.
Unlike other renowned Black pioneers, George Lewis Ruffin isn’t a widely recognized name or depicted in films, noted Tynes.
However, he emphasized that Ruffin, the first Black graduate of Harvard Law School in 1869 and a judge in Charlestown’s municipal court in 1883, paved the way for those being honored that night.
“In this room, we have many trailblazers, highlighting both the triumphs and hardships of the quest for justice,” Tynes remarked.
The triumph lies in the exceptional talent present, while the tragedy is that it has taken so long to reach this point, with a long path to justice still ahead, he said, reflecting on the legacy of George Floyd’s death.
When the society was founded in 1984, McDevitt noted that “most officers, judges, and probation officers were white, and we needed to focus on enhancing diversity within the system.”
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