Bunker Hill Community College Chief Barrows Honored by National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives for Outstanding Service
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Bunker Hill Community College Chief of Police and Executive Director of Public Safety Robert Barrows received two awards from the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) this month at the organization’s annual conference in Hollywood, Florida.
“I am incredibly proud of Chief Barrows record of excellence in service to the BHCC community,” said College President Pam Eddinger. “He is not only among the highest caliber professionals in his field, but he is dedicated to educating the next generation of criminal justice practitioners and cares deeply for our students and his colleagues.”
Barrows, a longtime leader within NOBLE Massachusetts Chapter and a nearly 29-year veteran of the BHCC Police Department, received the NOBLE Civil Rights Outstanding Community Leader Justice By Action Award, which is awarded to an individual for their dedication and commitment to the community; as a community advocate addressing all types of discrimination and the challenges of prejudice with a high degree of leadership. The award also recognizes a leader who reinforces the importance of developing and maintaining positive and social relationships with others, regardless of race, age, ethnic origin, gender, religious backgrounds, and/or physical and mental impairment or disabilities. Barrows was also given the 2025 Lloyd Sealy Award, which recognizes outstanding service or accomplishments in the field of criminal justice.
“I am honored and humbled to be recognized by my colleagues at NOBLE for work that is so important to me and to the community in which I live and serve,” said Barrows. “I am grateful to my colleagues and the officers of the BHCC Police Department for their service and dedication to our shared mission.”
In addition to leading Public Safety at BHCC, Barrows serves on the Executive Board of Massachusetts Police Chiefs, representing not only BHCC and the community colleges, but all higher education police departments on that body. Barrows also serves as adjunct professor of criminal justice at the College, teaching the next generation of law enforcement and criminal justice professionals. A Massachusetts native, Barrows holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Salem State University. He also served in the Massachusetts National Guard for 8 years and spent time as a housing police officer for the cities of Chelsea and Boston prior to coming to BHCC.
The Bunker Hill Community College Public Safety Department is dedicated to protecting the students, faculty, staff, visitors and property of Bunker Hill Community College. All staff are sworn-in Special State Police of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As such, the department conducts itself as any other Municipal Police Department and has full arresting powers on College grounds. The department is fully accredited by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission. To be accredited, departments must conform to established standards on best practices for police agencies. The accreditation process provides a professional-related norm for an agency to evaluate performance, promotes accountability among agency personnel, enhances the agency’s reputation, requires agencies to ensure all policies and procedures are in line with the comprehensive and uniform set of directives, and, most importantly, promotes staff and public confidence in the agency while improving the delivery of law enforcement services to the community.