Sheriff James V. DiPaola
1953 - 2010

For 14 years James V. DiPaola revolutionized the role of Sheriff in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. A former police officer and narcotics detective, Sheriff DiPaola went on to serve in the State Legislature before being elected Sheriff of Middlesex County. He made officer safety the highest priority, revamping the Training Academy and actively seeking out the most modern law enforcement technology and techniques to give the men and women on the tiers every tool possible. Sheriff DiPaola truly believed there was an opportunity not to be missed behind prison walls. He created countless rehabilitation and education programs, including the Inmate Culinary Arts Program, so that inmates would have a fighting chance to be better husbands, fathers and friends. At the time of his passing in November, 2010, the Middlesex Sheriff's Office had seen a significant drop in recidivism since Sheriff DiPaola took office in 1996. His legacy will survive in the hundreds of former inmates who turned their lives around because of a program or a policy created by Sheriff James V. DiPaola.
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David S. Robinson
Superintendent Cambridge Jail

Superintendent Robinson was killed in the line of duty during an inmate escape on May 14, 1961. Superintendent Robinson's actions on that day were credited with saving the lives of several other correction officers. David Robinson's family accepted the first Middlesex Sheriff's Office Medal of Valor posthumously in his name on Friday, September 28, 2000 during the Middlesex Sheriff's Office annual Employee Recognition Day.

David Robinson's killer was captured in early 2005.
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Links:
National Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation
Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial