Koutoujian, Peter J.

High SheriffDemocratSheriffs

Agency Sheriffs
County Middlesex County
Title High Sheriff
Address Middlesex County Sheriff's Office, 12 Gill St., Suite 4700
Woburn, MA 1801
Phone 781-960-2800
Website www.middlesexsheriff.org
X @MSOSheriff, @PeterKoutoujian

Official Record

Year Started Current Position 2011
Years in Current Position 16
Year Elected Appointed 2011, Elected 2012
Number of Employees 738
Lockups 1
Job Description As Sheriff of the Commonwealth’s most populous county – and one of the nation’s 25 most populous counties – I am responsible for the management of the Middlesex Jail and House of Correction. The Middlesex Sheriff’s Office is charged with ensuring the care, custody and control of pretrial detainees and sentenced inmates on a daily basis. Dedication to public safety does not stop at the walls of the institution, however. The MSO makes available to the 54 cities and towns of Middlesex County any and all resources that may enhance public safety. We have forged partnerships with local, state and federal authorities to organize and ensure these resources are available whenever and wherever needed. Additionally, the MSO operates a Training Academy in Chelmsford and administrative as well as Civil Process Division offices in Medford.

Personal Information

Town of Residence Waltham, MA
Marital Status Married (Elizabeth Cerda)
Children 3

Education & Career

Education
- Bridgewater State University
- New England School of Law
- Harvard University Kennedy School - Masters Public Affairs
Previous Employment
- State Rep, 10th Middlesex District, 14 years
Organizations
- National Sheriffs Association
- Major County Sheriffs Association
- Massachusetts Sheriffs Association
- Council of State Governments Justice Center
- Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council
- Middlesex Chiefs of Police
- Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration

Priorities

During his eight years in office, Sheriff Koutoujian has initiated several landmark programs at the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office that have garnered national attention. These include a medication assisted treatment program recognized as a Center of Excellence by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC)
the Housing Unit for Military Veterans (HUMV) that has been touted by the Washington Examiner and Vice News Tonight
and a unique unit for young adult offenders that has been called “one of the most important criminal justice reform experiments in the country” by the Boston Globe.
Under Sheriff Koutoujian’s leadership, Middlesex County was chosen as one of three Data Driven Justice (DDJ) Project pilot sites by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. DDJ is a national initiative focused on linking police, jail, hospital and service provider data to identify individuals with behavioral health needs within in these systems with a goal of producing better outcomes that enhance public safety.
In January of 2020, Sheriff Koutoujian began his first term as President of Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), representing sheriffs from the most populous counties in the nation. Sheriff Koutoujian previously served as MCSA’s Vice President and Chair of its Communications Committee. The Sheriff also sits on the Advisory Board for the Council on State Governments Justice Center, a national nonprofit organization whose findings and technical assistance are utilized by state officials across the U.S. Sheriff Koutoujian currently serves as President of the Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association, and is a founding member of Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime & Incarceration, a group of nearly 200 police chiefs, attorneys general, sheriffs and agency leaders committed to reducing rates of incarceration. He has also been recognized as a “Champion of Justice Reform” by the Coalition for Public Safety - a national bipartisan collective advancing criminal justice reform.

Staff

Bridget Cook
Chief of Staff. bcook@sdm.state.ma.us. 781-960-2800