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Walsh Appoints William Evans To Lead Boston Police

William Evans, whose appointment is scheduled to formally take place Thursday, has held a leadership role within the police department for several years. (Elise Amendola/AP)
William Evans, whose appointment is scheduled to formally take place Thursday, has held a leadership role within the police department for several years. (Elise Amendola/AP)

Interim Boston Police Commissioner William Evans, a 31-year veteran of the city's police department who played a major role in the response to the deadly marathon bombing, is being named commissioner, Mayor Marty Walsh said on Tuesday.

Evans knows how to manage his team of officers and has their respect, said Walsh, a Democrat who was sworn in as mayor on Monday, replacing the long-serving Thomas Menino.

William Evans, whose appointment is scheduled to formally take place Thursday, has held a leadership role within the police department for several years. (Elise Amendola/AP)
William Evans, whose appointment is scheduled to formally take place Thursday, has held a leadership role within the police department for several years. (Elise Amendola/AP)

"The Boston Police Department will be in great hands under the leadership of Bill Evans," Walsh said in a statement.

Evans, whose appointment is scheduled to formally take place Thursday, has held a leadership role within the police department for several years. He had notable roles in the handling of the 70-day occupation of Dewey Square by Occupy Boston protesters, the city's response to the marathon bombing and the capture of bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Evans, a dedicated runner, had finished the April marathon when he learned of the two explosions at the finish line and rushed to the scene. Three people were killed, and more than 260 were wounded.

Tsarnaev, accused of planting the bombs with his older brother, has pleaded not guilty and awaits trial. His brother died following a shootout with police.

Evans, a brother of former police commissioner Paul Evans, joined the Boston Police Department as a patrol officer in 1982 and became a captain in 2006. He's a 2008 graduate of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Evans replaced Commissioner Ed Davis, another key figure in the Boston Marathon bombing investigation, in November. Davis, who spent seven years in the post, had announced in September his plans to step down as Menino, his boss, was preparing to retire at the end of the year.

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