Joseph Michael Jordan (1922 – May 10, 2014) was an American law enforcement officer who served as Commissioner of the Boston Police Department from 1976 to 1985.

The announcement was considered surprising because White chose to make Jordan's appointment permanent and not conduct a nationwide search.

White said that he chose to make the permanent appointment because he wanted to prevent speculation that would put the progress the department made during diGrazia's tenure in jeopardy.

[4] During his tenure as Commissioner, Jordan was criticized by the BPD’s two labor unions, who believed that his changes in procedure were a collective bargaining matter.

[5] He was also criticized by Clergy and Citizens for Justice, a Roxbury-based group that believed Jordan and members of his department were insensitive to the people of color in the community and guilty of brutality.

[5] In 1983, the Massachusetts Civil Service Commission charged Jordan and White with using Proposition 2 1/2 "as a cover" to lay off 284 patrolmen in 1981.