Dennis White (police commissioner)

White is a native of the Four Corners area of the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston,[2] and graduated from Jeremiah E. Burke High School in the Hyde Park neighborhood.[3] He spent five years as a member of the Boston Fire Department.[4] In 2005, he earned a bachelor’s degree in legal studies from Newbury College in nearby Brookline, Massachusetts.[3]

As of January 2021, White had been a member of the Boston Police Department for 32 years.[2] He rose through leadership roles, becoming a deputy superintendent in 2014.[5][1] In August 2018, Boston police commissioner William G. Gross promoted White to superintendent and named him chief of staff.[4] In 2020, White was one of two police officers on an 11-member task force assembled to review and recommend improvements to policing in Boston, following the killing of George Floyd.[6]

On January 28, 2021, Gross abruptly announced his retirement, effective the next day.[2] Boston mayor Marty Walsh named White to succeed Gross, with White becoming acting commissioner on January 29.[5] Formally sworn in on February 1, White became the department's 43rd commissioner and second Black commissioner.[5][7]

On February 3, 2021, White was placed on leave, in light of "the handling of a 1999 allegation of domestic violence."[3][8] Superintendent-in-chief Gregory Long was named acting commissioner while the city of Boston hires an outside investigator to conduct an investigation.[3][8] The 1999 incident resulted in a restraining order that required White to stay away from his wife and children.[3]

• Wintersmith, Saraya (February 5, 2021). "Police Reform Panel Members Question Handling Of Old Allegations Against Commissioner White". WGBH-TV. Retrieved February 8, 2021.