The new head of the Springfield Police Department was officially sworn in at Symphony Hall on Wednesday.
Lawrence Akers, the first Black police officer to lead the department, took the oath of office before family, state and local officials, and fellow police.
Akers was named by Mayor Domenic Sarno in January, months after being promoted to provisional deputy chief, and just ahead of the retirement of Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood.
Nearing the mandatory retirement age of 65, Clapprood had her last day this week and was on hand to congratulate her successor.
Retiring after 45 years with the department, she encouraged her deputy chief during Wednesday’s event.
“You have the instincts, because you’ve been around,” she said. “You have the experience, because you’ve been through it. And you have the common sense to know when to do things and when not to. So, you’ll be fine - believe me.”
Akers is also nearing retirement age. The 38-year veteran of the department will be 65 in December – an issue the city is hoping to dodge via a home rule petition.
The Springfield City Council passed the petition earlier this year and, if approved by the state legislature, it will allow Akers to be superintendent until age 70.
Presented by Springfield State Representative Bud Williams, the petition was referred to the committee on Public Safety on March 14, with the Senate concurring a few days later.
With a number of state elected officials present, Akers used a chunk of his speech to call on the legislature to move on the bill before the end of the year.
“Please don’t allow the state to end my career and ruin the police department at a time we’re moving in a positive direction,” Akers said. “Once again, thank you in advance for your continued support. Let’s get the home rule legislation passed, please.”
Throughout the event, multiple speakers pointed to Akers’s rise to police superintendent as a sign of serious change for the city.
His wife, Mary Akers, called attention to how his father, Charles Akers, faced hate while serving as a police officer some 60 years ago. Now, his son is top cop.
“To paraphrase the immortal words of Sam Cooke - it's been a long time coming,” she told the crowded Mahogany Room.
Now in charge of a department of some 500 officers and supervisors, Akers also inherits a police force that remains under a federal consent decree.
He acknowledged the reforms that came out of a 2022 agreement between the Department of Justice and the city, and vowed to continue the progress made under Clapprood.
“It’s helped our transparency with the public, it’s forced us to upgrade our record-keeping practices, and to re-write our use of force polices, and many other things that brought us into the 21st century,” Akers said. “So, whether I like the consent decree hanging over the department or not – doesn’t matter. I will continue to do whatever possible to assist the Department of Justice and its representatives to move this department forward, and to continue to gain the trust of our community.”
Akers also outlined his vision for the police department, with focuses on four areas: community partnerships, transparency, reducing crime and fear of crime, and accountability.
