Boston police commissioner Kathleen O'Toole, who has resigned her post to become head of the new Garda Inspectorate, has said she wants to concentrate on a few key areas of Garda reform.
However, she stressed in an interview with The Irish Times that she would have to talk to the Government, the gardaí and community groups before deciding on the best approach.
Without commenting directly on personal disputes she has had with the Boston mayor, she said she was glad to be going to a jurisdiction where police were being recruited and not being laid off. "The Garda are adding extra officers, but Boston lost about 15 per cent of our officers," she said.
"I've called for more police on several occasions and the unions have called for more police, but our requests have fallen on deaf ears."
She added that she was not as familiar with Justice Minister Michael McDowell as the Boston newspapers had claimed.
"The leadership of the gardaí I know a lot better. The Minister I've only met a couple of times.
"I can't say he's a personal friend; he's a professional acquaintance. Our paths have crossed a couple of times and we've had fairly lengthy discussions. The Boston Globe is under the impression that I know him better than I do," she said.
Ms O'Toole said that the secretary general of the Department of Justice in Dublin had sent an e-mail to her personal e-mail account on Monday night asking her if she would allow her name to be put forward to the Government.
She said she did not discover the e-mail until Tuesday morning and decided to call an impromptu press conference in Boston, announcing that she had the new role.
She said she was glad to have finally been able to end a week of speculation in the US and Irish press.