Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has selected Louisville, Ky. Police Chief Robert White to be Denver's Police Chief, the Louisville mayor's office has confirmed. A formal announcement of the new chief is expected to take place next week, though the city council's approval is expected to take three weeks.
Chief White will be replacing DPD Chief Gerald Whitman, who was appointed by then-Mayor Wellington Webb in 2000 and then reappointed by former mayor now Gov. John Hickenlooper.
White has been a Police Chief finalist in at least two other cities in the past year, but was bypassed both times. In a statement, Chief White said it was a difficult decision leaving Louisville but that he's leaving it "in great hands."
According to his biography, Robert White has served almost 14 years as Chief of Police in Ky. and Greensboro, N.C., with nearly 30 years of experience in law enforcement that began in Washington D.C.
During his tenure, he worked in every bureau within the department and attained the rank of assistant chief. He retired, after 23 years of service. Upon his retirement, he was appointed the first Director of Public Safety for the District of Columbia Housing Authority. In 1997, Chief White was asked to return to the Metropolitan Police Department as the Assistant Chief over all patrol operations to help revitalize the department. As assistant chief in our nation's capital, he oversaw one of the largest reductions in crime of any major city.
"It's not a surprise that, over the years, many cities have tried to hire him. Denver is gaining a police chief of high integrity," Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said in a statement.
Chief White was Louisville's first black Chief of Police and will have the unique distinction of being Denver's, as well..