A New, and Different, Sheriff Is In Town

Meet Donna Buckley, Barnstable County's Newly Elected Sheriff

Thursday October 12, 2023, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Hyannis

Lunch and Presentation 11:30 - 2:30  p.m.

Buy Tickets Now

 Sheriff Donna Buckley 

Last November, Democrat Donna Buckley defeated former State Representative Tim Whelan in a close race for county sheriff after the retirement of James Cummings, a Republican who held that office for 24 years. In addition to being the first female sheriff in Barnstable County's 331 year history, she is only the second female sheriff in Massachusetts.

Sheriff Buckley ran on a non-traditional platform of  “corrections, rehabilitation and treatment” as the core responsibility of the Sheriff's office.  Her view is that the Sheriff is not the chief law enforcement officer of Barnstable County...that role belongs to the various towns' police forces.   Instead the Sheriff's Office, responsible for operating the Barnstable County Correctional Facility, should focus on job training, counseling, educational opportunities and comprehensive mental health and alcohol treatment so that inmates can return to the community and live productively. She believes this approach will keep our Cape Cod communities safer than a sole focus on punishment.  

In addition to operating the County Correctional Facility, the Sheriffs Office oversees the regional 911 communications network,  the Bureau of Criminal Investigations that handles crime scene analysis, and the Civil Process Division for Barnstable County.  

Raised in Peabody and now living in Falmouth, Sheriff Buckley received her JD at Suffolk University.  Her career has included in-house counsel roles at the International Brotherhood of Police Officers and the Massachusetts Teachers Association, as well as running her own legal practice.  Prior to her election, Ms. Buckley served as the General Counsel to the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office since 2018.

Sheriff Buckley would like to see your questions so she can tailor her remarks to members' interests.  Please submit questions to HCCC VP of Communications (hccc.infos@gmail.com).

Join HCCC and alumni from MIT in our joint program to hear about Ms. Buckley's new approach to the Barnstable Country Sheriff's role!

 Click here for a flyer to mail in with your check