Search for Denver's next police chief goes national - The Denver Post

Search for Denver's next police chief goes national - The Denver Post

Denver Mayor-elect Michael Hancock is conducting a national search for the city's next police chief — a process that's expected to take at least 30 to 60 days — and he's asked the current top cop, Gerry Whitman, to stay on while he does it.

Earlier this week, Whitman told a group of police supervisors that he agreed to stay until the search is complete.

The move surprised some in the department, who had the impression that Hancock was leaning toward forgoing a national search and picking a new chief from inside the department, according to a police source.

But it was not a surprise to Division Chief Tracie Keesee, considered by many in the department to be the front-runner for the job.

"I'm not surprised it's a national search," Keesee said Friday. She said it is her understanding that candidates from inside the department also will be considered.

Whitman, who was named interim police chief in February 2000 by then-Mayor Wellington Webb and assumed the job on a permanent basis a few months later, has known since the spring that his days heading the 1,400-officer department were numbered.

At a mayoral candidates' forum in April, five of those vying for mayor — including Hancock — said they would replace Whitman if elected.