Oct 09

Ex-Boston Police Chief Shares His Boston Marathon Bombing Experience

NECA 2016 Boston

Among the highlights on Day 3 of NECA 2016 Boston were remarks made by the city’s former police chief, Daniel Linskey, at Sunday morning’s General Session.

Linskey, was in charge of Boston’s police during the Boston Marathon terrorist attack in 2013, spoke about how he has learned to handle leadership in times of crisis and his experiences during the bombing and its aftermath.

“All I ever wanted was to be a Boston cop. I got to live my dream,” Linskey told the audience. “The best way to learn leadership is to lead.”

Chief Daniel Linskey at NECA16’s Sunday General Session from NECAnet on Vimeo.

As he moved up the ranks, he did just that, saying he’s been on a quest for leadership “his whole life.” He didn’t pass on opportunities for leadership posts and made sure to step outside his comfort zones.

It’s important to “find out where you are” before the crisis and to be prepared to think differently if necessary, he said. During a crisis, among the things to do is to come up with a list of five actions to take.

“You better be the calmest and the coolest you have ever been and have a plan – or make your team believe you have a plan even if you don’t – because they’re going to want you to lead,” he said.

After the crisis, he added, keep your promises and be a human. Document what you did right after the action occurred and honestly identify what you did wrong and avoid repeating those mistakes.

As Managing Director at Kroll, Linskey now serves clients in diverse industries with experience in investigations, crisis response planning and risk management as well as personal, physical and operational security strategies. He’s also a homeland security/law enforcement news analyst for the local Fox affiliate in Boston.

Linskey praised the people of Boston who came together during the horrific attack, which killed three spectators and injured hundreds.

“I cannot tell you how cooperative our citizens were,” he said.

The show floor opened again Sunday – with more than 300 exhibitors interacting with NECA members – and a range of education course continued throughout the day.

Approximately 60 attendees gathered for the 2016 Women In NECA Roundtable, an annual event that brings together women in the industry from around the country.

Marie Arcidiacono presented on “Let’s Talk About It: Communication, Gender & Powerful Speech.”

Later, Women In NECA combined forces with NECA Future Leaders to host a reception for female and young members of the community.

Leave a Reply