Denver Police Chief Robert White applied to become the top cop in Washington, but renewed his commitment to Denver Thursday after someone else was chosen for the job.
The Denver Police Department’s public information office released a statement saying, “during his five-year tenure, Chief Robert White has been recruited by numerous major city police departments for their chief of police positions. Chief White has never sought any of those positions. However, when the police chief position became available in Washington D.C., Chief White did apply because of the unique opportunities it presented.”
White spent the bulk of his career at the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, and he has a son and grandson who still live in the nation’s capital, the statement said. CBS Denver first reported that White had been a finalist.
Washington Mayor Muriel E. Bowser , a long-time assistant chief who had been serving as the interim chief, The Washington Post reported.
White knows Newsham and offered his congratulations, the Denver police statement said.
White came to Denver after serving as a police chief in Louisville, Ky., and Greensboro, N.C. He spent 23 years at the Washington, D.C., police department, left for another job and then returned for one more year to serve as assistant chief of operations.
He was hired as Denver’s police chief in December 2011.
White has positioned himself as a police reformer. He often reminds people in public forums that he was brought to Denver to change the department’s culture. He also serves as secretary on the Police Executive Research Forum board of directors, and he travels around the country to speak about policing.
For now, though, he remains Denver’s police chief.
“Chief White is strongly committed to the city and county of Denver and the Denver Police Department and plans to stay with DPD to continue transforming the department toward a more dynamic and innovative agency,” the statement said.
