Gov. Patrick Appoints New Superintendent of Mass. State Police

Governor Deval Patrick recently appointed Lt. Col. Timothy P. Alben as the next Superintendent and Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police (MSP).

A 30-year law enforcement veteran, Alben currently commands and manages the Division of Field Services, the largest organizational entity in the MSP with 1,550 sworn members. The Governor administered the oath of office to Alben in his State House office Friday and his appointment is effective immediately.

“Tim Alben brings broad leadership experience and deep professional and personal integrity to this appointment,” said Patrick. “He is well prepared to build on the great work of his predecessor, Colonel Marian McGovern.”

McGovern announced her retirement in June after 33 years of service to the MSP. Governor Patrick praised McGovern’s performance, which included producing the first new class of recruits since 2006, saying, “The quality and professionalism of Colonel McGovern’s command has made us all proud. She has been a superlative colleague and I am grateful for her support and her service to the people of the Commonwealth.”

Alben’s three-decade long career with the MSP began at the rank of Trooper in 1983. He has served as an investigator in the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office and managed the MSP Western Massachusetts Organized Crime Unit. In 2004, he assumed the role of Executive Officer for Tactical Operations and became responsible for overseeing significant public events including the annual Boston Fourth of July Esplanade Celebration, Boston Marathon and 2004 Democratic National Convention.

He was promoted to Major in the Tactical Operations Unit in 2007, and commanded over 200 department members assigned to 11 statewide units. Alben has served in his current role as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Division of Field Services since 2010 and managed the emergency response of MSP personnel and assets to Western Massachusetts following last year’s hurricane, tornadoes and October snowstorm.

"It is with a great sense of pride and humility that I accept this honor of becoming the next Colonel/Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police. I am grateful to Governor Patrick for the confidence he has expressed in my ability to lead this great organization,” said Alben. “The Massachusetts State Police has a long and rich history of public service to the citizens of this Commonwealth. As Colonel, I pledge to bring the same level enthusiasm and commitment to public safety that I have brought with me each and every day for the last nearly thirty years of my service. I am honored beyond words."

Said Col. McGovern: “Governor Patrick made an exceptional choice for the next Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police. Tim Alben is a great friend but more important a man of honor who will lead with distinction. The Department is in good hands.”

Said Mary Beth Heffernan, Public Safety Secretary: "Colonel Alben's selection will suit the Massachusetts State Police well. His experience, attitude and forward thinking are assets that will help him lead the state's premier law enforcement agency into tomorrow and beyond, maintaining a proud legacy of leadership."

The Massachusetts State Police was created in 1865. Today, it is comprised of 2,300 highly trained, sworn officers dedicated to serving the citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.