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place.’ Lt. Col. Kevin Cullen

Dermot
uinna was a visionary
Quinn Qwhen it came to going
Sgt. James Bruce hile I knew after drug dealers, and his
vision was especially needed
WTom Quin after the opioid epidemic ex-
he Department recently lost nearly for many years, ploded over the last decade.
T40-year veteran to cancer. Detec- it was only later That vision was rewarded
tive Lieutenant Tommy Quin passed in my career that in 2013 when he was able
away on March 23 surrounded by I had the oppor- to create a Lawrence-based
his family. If you had the pleasure of tunity to work task force of local, state, and
knowing Tommy, you know that our directly with him. federal investigators that
deep loss was not due to the length We had many targeted the biggest drug
of his service, but rather to the quality spirited debates traffickers in the region. It
of it. The MSP has been blessed with on the origin of became a statewide model.
some outstanding investigators over the name Quinn Quin and Quinn, post-raid. Six years ago, Quinna was
the years, but few, if any, rivaled Tom- (Quin) and diagnosed with cancer. He
my Quin. accused each other of coming from a privileged took on cancer like a crimi-
Tommy entered the State Police background since he thought the “two N Quinn’s” nal adversary, with a fierce
Academy, a member of the 61st RTT, were the rich ones, and I thought the opposite was tenacity. He tried every treat-
as a 20-year-old in 1979. After grad- true! We became close due to similar upbringings, ment, every trial, buying time
uation he worked as a road Trooper personalities, and a love of police work. with his wife, Marian, and his
in SP-Concord and SP-Leominster. When I first saw Tom’s proposal for the Transpor- kids, Hannah, AJ, and Brady.
Tommy loved being a Trooper and he tation Drug Unit I knew it was something we could He kept working, keeping 10
did a fantastic job on the road, but it work closely on. And this guy could work! Tom and balls in the air at the same
was as an investigator where he really his “crew” replaced insulation, drywall, and wiring time.
made his mark. at the task force office, while at the same time After Quinna had his kidney
In his more than three-decade run monitoring cameras, white-boarding drug traffick- removed, Coffey went to
in drug enforcement, Tommy was ing organizations, writing warrants and making visit, expecting to find him
responsible for the seizure of approxi- buys. His guys loved him, and the chemistry in asleep. The door to the
mately $100 million in drugs, cash and Lawrence under his leadership was infectious. hospital room was closed but
assets, and brought countless drug We talked about rolling out a model we could rep- Coffey could see the glow
traffickers and money launderers to licate across the agency. We spent long afternoons from a laptop under the door
justice. putting ideas down on paper. Tom’s eyes would get crack. The stitches from his
But Tommy was more than just a wide and he would come up with idea after idea on incision were still oozing, and
great investigator; Tommy recognized how we could attack opiate trafficking more effec- Quinna was working from his
that we were a better department tively. It always started with “hey kid, what about hospital bed.
when knowledge and experience this?” His enthusiasm and energy were addictive. Two years ago, Quinna
were shared. Tommy never failed to His police instincts were the stuff that screenwriters was named the nation’s top
help out and mentor young Troopers create TV shows from. I loved being around him. narcotics unit commander.
he encountered along the course of On top of being a great cop, Tom was a gentle- None of us who grew up with
his career. When the opiate epidemic man and a family man. He loved his family and we him knew this, because he
reached its worst earlier this decade, often traded stories about kids and their sports. He didn’t tell us. He didn’t brag.
Tommy pitched a bold and innovative truly cared for the disadvantaged. He was never in We found out from other
approach to combating the crisis. Tom- pursuit of a drug addict. Just the opposite, he was cops who were keeping vigil
my’s idea for the Transportation Drug in pursuit of the dealer who never actually touched at Brigham and Women’s
Unit in Lawrence became so successful the dope, or took the risks, but was responsible Hospital a few weeks ago.
that it later morphed into CINRET, and for making dope cheaper, more potent, and easier Detective Lieutenant Thom-
two additional task forces based on his to acquire. The guy who ruined lives and reaped as Quin died on a Saturday
model were established in southeast- the financial rewards. He chased that that type of afternoon. He was a lion.
ern and western Massachusetts. trafficker with a tenacity the likes of which I don’t And we will never see the
That will be the legacy of Tommy think I’ll ever see again. likes of him again.
Quin; great friend and bold innovator, I think what I remember most about him is that
who worked tirelessly to stem the he was a great friend with whom I could share From Mr. Cullen’s column,
flow of illicit drugs into the streets of a love of police work, a love of close teamwork, “Tommy Quin was a lion, and
Massachusetts. Please take a moment and he made work fun for me every single time I we will never see the likes of
to remember Detective Lieutenant worked with him. I miss him every day. him again,” published in The
Tommy Quin and his family in your “go dtí go mbuailimid le chéile arís Tom (until we Boston Globe April 1, 2019 and
thoughts and prayers. meet again Tom).” reprinted with permission.

Spring 2019 7