Coppinger sworn in as Lynn’s acting top cop

LYNN – In the sweltering heat of the mayor’s office, Kevin F. Coppinger was sworn in Tuesday as acting police chief, quipping that his first order of business would be to remove his necktie and dark blue dress uniform.After taking the oath of office from City Clerk Mary Audley, the new chief addressed the room crowded with family, friends, city officials and police officers, including former Deputy Chief Basil Manias, Deputy Chief Kenneth Santoro, Salem Police Chief Robert St. Pierre and brother Richard Coppinger, head of the city’s License Commission.Coppinger thanked his wife, Beth, and the couple’s two teenage sons – Kevin and Sean – for their support over the years, emphasizing the sometimes long hours, tough conditions and late-night phone calls that police work can entail. He also paid tribute to his late parents, wryly noting that if his wise-cracking father, former Police Capt. Joseph Coppinger, were alive and present, “I’d say, I outrank you.”Last Friday was Coppinger’s first day on the job as acting chief and outgoing Police Chief John Suslak’s last. Coppinger thanked Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. for having faith and confidence in his abilities to lead the Police Department.”They say if you surround yourself with good people they’re going to make you look good,” Coppinger said, commending his fellow officers for their dedication. He alluded there could come a day with “bumps in the road” when everyone might not agree with his decisions, but keeping the lines of communication open would help resolve those differences.All kidding aside, the new chief said his top priority is to maintain the Police Department’s present staffing level. “I want to keep bodies on the street,” he said. “We’ve made a lot of progress in Lynn and I don’t want to go backwards. I want to maintain the status quo even though we are facing a tough budget situation.”Although it was steamy inside City Hall and blazing hot outdoors, Coppinger remained in uniform – his chief’s four stars on each shoulder, four stripes on each sleeve – throughout the ceremony and later on the street, where one son eagerly awaited to try on his father’s new cap.A 1975 St. Mary’s High School graduate, Coppinger worked for the Lynnfield Police Department before joining the Lynn force. He was promoted to sergeant in 1986, lieutenant in 1989, captain in 1992 and deputy chief in 1995. He was instrumental in planning and overseeing construction of the city’s new police headquarters and has assumed several roles within the department during his career, including internal affairs office and media liaison.