Mayor Kim Janey says she will carefully consider whether to remove Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White after a disciplinary hearing over his domestic violence allegations.
Boston Mayor Kim Janey said she will carefully consider whether to remove Police Commissioner Dennis White after a disciplinary hearing over his domestic violence allegations was held Wednesday.
"I held the hearing for Dennis White this morning, providing an opportunity for him to present any additional information," Janey said in a statement. "I will make a decision after careful deliberation."
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The hearing took place behind closed doors despite White's attorney requesting the proceeding be public.
In his own statement, White thanked Janey "for the chance to tell my side of the story" and emphasized his view that he has "been accused falsely of crimes" and "not yet been given a fair trial."
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White was accused in 1999 of hitting and threatening to shoot his then-wife, who was also a police officer.
In his statement, White vehemently denied the allegations and claimed he was the target of a campaign of false allegations.
"I want the truth and the facts to dictate the outcome here, not terrible allegations made by unidentified persons who are not under oath and whose motivations are not known," White said.
Janey said Tuesday that her office was reviewing video submitted by White's family claiming he was the victim, not the aggressor, of domestic violence in his former marriage, but Janey suggested she still intended to "move in a new direction" after a hearing this week.
White's attorney over the weekend asked Janey to consider video affidavits submitted by his daughter, Tiffany, and former sister-in-law claiming that it was his ex-wife who was abusive, not White, according to multiple reports.
Carter, White’s attorney, said the commissioner’s daughter was never questioned as part of the investigation done by City Hall.
Former Mayor Marty Walsh has denied prior knowledge of the allegations, despite Gross and White asserting that Walsh would have been briefed on White's internal affairs file as part of any promotion process.
White was appointed quickly by Walsh following the resignation of William Gross, but worked as commissioner for two days before Walsh suspended him after the Boston Globe inquired about past allegations of domestic violence contained in court records.
Janey reiterated Tuesday that the purpose of Wednesday's hearing is to "move in a new direction."
If Janey does fire White, as expected, the mayor suggested that the search for a permanent replacement could take months and may not be concluded before the city elects a new mayor in November.
Janey is one of six major candidates seeking to replace Labor Secretary and former Mayor Marty Walsh on a full-time basis, along with City Councilors Michelle Wu, Andrea Campbell and Annissa Essaibi George, state Rep. Jon Santiago and the city's economic development chief John Barros.
