By Bill Forry

Andrea Cabral's not taking any money from the 1,100 or so people who work for her in the Suffolk County Sheriff's office. Which on the surface is not that big a deal. Or at least it shouldn't be.

But in the context of Boston politics - particularly the job she now holds and plans to hold onto - it's a breath of fresh air. And it's sent an crisp message to potential foes, fellow politicians and - most importantly - the people who live and work at the city's two jailhouses: Andrea Cabral's not playing by the same old rules.

That's not to say that Cabral won't play hardball in this year's election for sheriff. She knows she's going to have at least one, if not two, tough challengers come the fall. But she plans to win on her own merits, not by building up a bank of contributions from the men and women who work for her.

So far, the strategy seems to be working out pretty well for Cabral, who says she socked away about $51,000 in the last three months of 2003 to get her candidacy off the ground. Cabral was appointed, you'll remember, by Gov. Jane Swift in the waning days of her administration, to succeed Richard Rouse, the former Dorchester state rep who left the sheriff's job amid criticism of mismanagement. A special commission headed up by former US Attorney Donald Stern outlined a series of reforms needed in the county seat, many of them systemic problems that pre-dated Rouse.

From the get-go, Cabral got tripped up in controversy as she switched her party affiliation from unenrolled to Republican in order to get the appointment. Her foray into the land of elephants lasted less than two months and this fall she'll be on the ballot for the first time in her life as a Democrat.

It says here, though, that picking Cabral to take over as sheriff was one of the best decisions made by the state's first female governor. A native of East Providence, Cabral came north to attend Boston College and never left. She went to law school at Suffolk and cut her teeth as a staff attorney working out of the Charles Street Jail that she now oversees, along with the House of Corrections at South Bay. More recently, the Jamaica Plain resident prosecuted wife beaters and other deadbeats as an assistant DA for Ralph Martin, Scott Harshbarger, and Tom Reilly, working her way up to the Chief of District Courts and Community Prosecutions for Martin.

Dorchester state Rep. Marie St. Fleur, who got to know Cabral while they both worked for Harshbarger, calls Cabral "one of the hardest working people I know."

"She's the right person for this job," says St. Fleur. "She has an understanding of the court system and the limitations of our justice system, as well as the benefits.

"She can be very tough on crime but understands that there are some preventative mesaures that can be taken to avoid the eventual lock-up."

Cabral admits that while she lobbied to get the sheriff's job, once she got there she experienced more than a dose of culture shock.

"I was used to dealing with the victims, people who -most of the time - are in the same circumstances as the [perpetrators]. Prosecutors are victim-centric and you tend to see the accused as the crime.

"My instant reaction [to the prisoners' life in jail] was, 'My victims can't afford these benefits!'" says Cabral. "But I realized that there is a public safety benefit to what we do. If you deliver them back better than you got them, you're actually helping. As a society you should want better. It has to be more than a temporary loss of liberties."

Cabral's first order of business over the last year was to send a message that her arrival meant an end to special priviledges for residents and staff alike. Aside from not taking contributions from her administrators or the union, Cabral's put tough hiring screenings in place. There's a physical test and a panel interview followed by a written test to ensure that applicants have, at the least, a high school education.

"And then you have to get by me," Cabral smiles.

The sheriff admits that the one-hour personal interview she devotes to each prospective corrections officer can be grueling for her. Bundled together, they can take more than a whole day-and-a-half from her schedule at a time.

That's going to be tough to pull off in the coming months, especially if Cabral pulls a high-profile opponent like Steve Murphy, the Boston city councillor who is weighing his own run at the sheriff's job. Another candidate, Shawn Jenkins of Charlestown, is already in the race and has the outward support of the Romney-Healey Republicans. Another candidate, Gerard McHale of Fields Corner, has withdrawn from the race.

Cabral, though, learned more than law enforcement under Ralph Martin.

"Even if I were unopposed - which won't happen - I would've still run like I had an opponent," Cabral says. "You have to earn people's vote and that means knocking doors, showing up early at the train stations and Dunkin' Donuts. You've got to tell people who you are."

If Cabral gets that chance, she'll do just fine, says Marie St. Fleur, another political mentor for Cabral.

"I believe that if Suffolk County wants someone who's a leader and understands law enforcement and has integrity, I think they will elect Andrea Cabral because she brings that to the table. And then some."