Hampden Sheriff Nick Cocchi selected as vice president of Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association

Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi has been elected as vice president of the Massachusetts Sheriff’s Association and will hold a leadership position with the group for the first time.

He will serve with Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins, who was elected as president of the group, which represents the 14 sheriffs who each represent a county in the state.

Both will serve two-year terms. Tompkins, who previously served as president in 2015, will replace Peter Koutoujian and Cocchi will replace Christopher Donelan, Franklin Sheriff, officials said.

“I am eager to serve my brother sheriffs as an advocate for the important work we do, fighting for what is in the best interests of the people we all serve,” Cocchi said. “Law enforcement officials need to step up and not just do the right thing, but speak on behalf of what is right.”

Cocchi, who has instituted multiple substance abuse programs, vocational training and pre-release services to help people who are incarcerated improve their lives, said as vice president he will continue to advocate for the interests of those incarcerated in the state.

“I believe that we are at a critical inflection point in the relationship between criminal justice and social justice, and I am very much looking forward to working with Sheriff Cocchi and MSA Executive Director Carrie Hill to not only expand on the progress that we’re making in the delivery of the comprehensive services we provide for our populations, but to help drive corrections further forward in this way,” Tompkins said.

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BY: JEANETTE DEFORGE