Boston Mayor Kim Janey fires Police Commissioner Dennis White effective immediately

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — Boston Mayor Kim Janey fired Police Commissioner Dennis White effective immediately, citing domestic violence admissions and misconduct during the investigation. Janey said White acknowledged at a June 1 hearing that he had hit and pushed members of his household, and described his recurring presence at police headquarters while on administrative leave as having fostered "a climate of intimidation." Asked whether White would return to a civil service rank in the department, Janey said he had relinquished that standing when he took the commissioner role and "is removed from the force altogether." Superintendent-in-Chief Greg Long will continue as acting commissioner while the city convenes a community search committee and conducts a national search for a permanent commissioner expected by year's end. Janey also announced mandatory background checks for all future BPD leadership candidates, an update to the department's 15-year-old domestic violence policy, and the first-ever BPD sexual assault policy, alongside confirmation that the city's new Office of Police Accountability and Transparency has active investigations underway.