By Sarah Cutler and Alex Brizee
The Idaho Statesman
After a months-long hiring process, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean on Monday selected Chris Dennison, assistant chief of police in Tucson, Arizona, to be the Boise Police Department’s new leader, according to a city news release.
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“Chris understands the special trust that must exist between a police department and the community it serves,” McLean said in the release.
Dennison, who has spent his entire career at the Tucson Police Department, was promoted to assistant chief in 2022 and oversees the department’s Investigative Services Bureau, which covers everything from major crimes to the department’s joint narcotics task force and its forensics division. He previously led the department’s West Side Patrol Division, which is the city’s largest.
“I want to do something that gives back to the community and I don’t think there’s any higher honor than being a police chief for the city of Boise,” Dennison told the Idaho Statesman in an interview last month.
This was the first job Dennison ever applied to outside of Tucson, he said.
He was one of three finalists who came to Boise last month for a public forum, and those three were part of an initial pool of 20 candidates.
The city sought to incorporate the community’s input in the hiring process, holding meetings and focus groups, and distributing an online survey. More than 1,500 people completed the survey, according to the release, citing “reducing crime” and “enhancing public safety” as their highest priorities for the next chief.
One of Dennison’s biggest priorities is focusing on transparency. He told the Statesman that when it comes to things such as police shootings, the department should be releasing body-camera footage as quickly as possible. In Arizona, Dennison said they release footage after any of the involved officers provides a statement about the shooting, which typically takes a few weeks.
“When you keep it locked down, it can breed distrust that doesn’t need to be there,” he said, referring to body-cam footage.
Dennison was also concerned about officer wellness, making sure that members of the police department are taken care of and that they are given continual training. “Hurt people, hurt people. Healthy people, help people,” he added.
“If you’re not taking care of your members internally, how can you expect them to take care of the public?” Dennison said.
Boise’s police union expressed its support for Dennison’s selection.
“We believe (Dennison) is the appropriate choice for our Chief because of his attentiveness to his community and his officers,” Boise Police Union Local 486 said in the release.
Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar, who makes an annual salary of $204,360, is set to retire in September. Dennison’s starting date and other details will be announced in the coming days, the release said.
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