by Marty Green ·
Friday, January 9, 2026
Officer Michael Turner. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Officer Michael Turner became the newest member of the Harvard Police Department just before Christmas, being sworn in Dec. 22, 2025. In a brief interview, he told the Press he has found both the department and the town very welcoming.
Turner comes to Harvard with years of experience in policing. He served for more than a decade in Winthrop, the town where he grew up. Later, he became a campus safety officer at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Turner and his family decided to move from the city to Pepperell. But that change gave him a lengthy commute to his campus job, cutting into the time he could spend with his family. (Turner and his wife have five children, two teenagers and three preschoolers the couple has adopted.) So a few years ago he joined the Boxborough Police Department, his most recent position before coming to Harvard.
While in Boxborough, Turner took courses in investigative skills, a path he hopes to continue in Harvard. His goal is to become an investigations officer. He said he is also looking forward to training in the use of drones. Because the police in Boxborough and Harvard often provide mutual aid for each other, Turner was already well acquainted with many Harvard officers.
With Turner’s arrival, the Harvard department reached “a big milestone,” Chief James Babu wrote in a press release and on a Facebook post. “For the first time in our history,” Babu said, “we will now have a minimum of two officers on duty for every shift, strengthening coverage and improving safety for the entire community.”
Turner appreciates having a partner on shift—something he did not always have on night shifts in Boxborough. Working alone can be boring and lonely, he said. “You start talking to yourself.”