Police Commissioner Christine Elow will retire after more than 30 years working at the Cambridge Police Department (CPD). The unexpected announcement by the City of Cambridge came in a statement released this afternoon, with Elow’s last day on the job coming tomorrow, Friday April 17. Elow is the first woman to ever lead the CPD, taking over for former Commissioner Branville G. Bard Jr. in 2022.
Elow, 58, a native of Cambridge and a Navy veteran, joined the department in 1995. Since then “she has worked in nearly every corner of the organization from Patrol Operations, Support Services, Professional Standards, and Community Services,” the city’s statement said.
The statement also touted Elow’s achievements in her four-year tenure as commissioner, including implementing police body cameras and launching a dashboard that provides open-source data on arrests by demographic. During her time as commissioner, CPD also received an advanced level accreditation from Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, “widely considered the gold standard in policing,” according to the statement.
In an email to staff, City Manager Yi-An Huang commended Elow for “bringing empathy, integrity, and a steadfast commitment to fairness to each role she held.”
“During her four years as Commissioner, Christine guided the department through an important period of transformation,” Huang added. “Under her leadership, the department strengthened its commitment to transparency, procedural justice, and community-driven public safety.”Police Superintendent Pauline Wells, who first joined CPD in 1993, has been named acting commissioner. She takes over a department of about 280 officers and a $56 million budget.
A representative from CPD said they were unsure of the timeline for hiring Elow’s permanent successor, but otherwise offered no comment. According to city Director of Media Relations Jeremy Warnick, Wells will be considered for the role permanently. Elow served as Acting Commissioner from August 2021 until being sworn in permanently in January 2022.
Through Warnick, Elow declined a request for an interview.
In an email to CPD staff, obtained by the Harvard Crimson, Elow wrote “Serving as Police Commissioner has been a once-in-a-lifetime honor and privilege.” She did not give a reason for her retirement but said in the email it was “not an easy decision.”
Cambridge Day will update this story as it gains new information.
This story has been updated to encompass new reporting. It also corrects inaccurate information received about Elow’s age, which is 58.
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