Newly appointed public safety secretary on school security

(NECN) - We are talking with the outgoing Suffolk County Sheriff and the newly appointed secretary of public safety and security for Governor Deval Patrick.

Andrea Cabral joins us to talk about her goals.

What are her thoughts going into her new position?

“It’s very exciting. I’m very excited to join the Governor’s cabinet in his last two years. I think that there are some very bold things he’d like to do in these last two years. I don’t see any slowing down on his part. And I’m happy to be in a position to help him get those things done,” Cabral says.

School security is an issue everyone is talking about in light of what happened in Newtown, Conn.

What’s Cabral’s take? Can you ever be fully prepared?

“I don’t know that there’s ever a way to be fully prepared for it. I think it’s a very difficult question,” Cabral says. “I think it really has to be a comprehensive solution. It can’t just be about putting more guns in the hands of people who are in schools. It’s gotta be so much more about gun control, access to guns, all of those kinds of things. It’s not a single solution. It’s an and not an or.”

What qualities is she looking for in the incoming sheriff?

“Well, in my opinion, whoever replaces me really should have a very comprehensive view of the universe of what sheriffs do. Because it’s a lot. It’s not just corrections. There’s a lot with regard to public safety, a lot of aid to cities and towns. And they really need to understand and have a vision for where corrections is going in the future because it’s been changing a lot over the past 10 years and it’s got a lot further to go.”

What’s the hardest part of that job?

“Wow,” Cabral says. “Well, you’re in the people business. You’re constantly managing people. The people who are incarcerated live there. And you’re constantly looking out for the people who do the very tough job of working there.”