Crime & Safety

Koutoujian Announces Top Leadership Changes at the Middlesex Sheriff's Office

Appointments made as 33-year veteran and Special Sheriff Patrick Murphy Retires.

The following is a release from Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian's office.

Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian this week announced his appointment of Scott Brazis to the position of Special Sheriff. Brazis, who is currently the Superintendent of the Middlesex Jail in Cambridge, replaces Patrick Murphy, who will retire this Friday after 33 years at the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office.

“This day is bittersweet for me and the entire Middlesex Sheriff’s Office,” said Koutoujian. “Patrick Murphy served with honor, fairness and integrity during his tenure at this institution. I am confident Scott Brazis will continue to lead in the same manner.”

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Brazis has over 28 years of experience working in various operational, investigative, and supervisory posts at the Middlesex Sheriff's Office. He worked his way through the ranks, beginning as a corrections officer in 1984 and spent 19 years in the Sheriff’s Office investigation/apprehension unit in both Billerica and Cambridge. For the past seven years he has served as Superintendent of the Middlesex Jail where he managed the overcrowded facility atop the Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse.

Supt. Brazis holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Forensics from the University of New Haven and a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Western New England College. He has also attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Program at Harvard University, as well as the Boston University Corporate Education Center. A native of Saugus, he continues to reside there with his wife and three children.

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Brazis will be succeeded by John Costello, who has served as Assistant Superintendent for Operations at the Middlesex House of Correction in Billerica for the past five years.

Costello has 26 years of experience in corrections, working his way up the ranks from correction officer to Assistant Superintendent. He spent time in the investigation/apprehension unit and has worked at both the Middlesex Jail in Cambridge and at the Middlesex House of Correction in Billerica.

“With this team, I will have the seasoned experience we need to lead this office through the challenges that lie ahead,” Koutoujian said. “I look forward to continuing our efforts to restore confidence in this historic office, moving it into the future with a focus on enhancing public safety and security.”


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