BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston Mayor Kim Janey met with Police Commissioner Dennis White during a private meeting on Wednesday after White’s legal team released statements from family members denying allegations of domestic abuse after losing a series of court challenges.
“They were false allegations. They were already vetted through the courts,” White said in a recorded statement. “Internal affairs did an investigation.”
Former Mayor Marty Walsh appointed White as police commissioner after then-Commissioner William Gross retired, but after allegations of domestic violence surfaced White was put on leave. An independent city investigation uncovered internal affairs reports on allegations of domestic violence in the 1990s, including one incident involving an ex-wife.
White said he discussed the allegations with Walsh, who has denied knowing about them. And White has said the allegations are unfounded, and his daughter and former sister-in-law said in videotaped statements that he did not abuse his ex-wife.
“I’ve never seen Dennis hit her,” said Connie Owens, the ex-sister-in-law of Boston’s top cop.
White’s daughter, Tiffany, claimed it was her mother who abused her and that White often tried to help her out.
“He would leave. He would always leave,” Tiffany said. “My father didn’t stay. He would always be like, ‘I’m out, I’m leaving.”
7NEWS did speak with White’s ex-wife Sybil Mason, who said there is cause for his dismissal.
“Does he belong in there? No. I don’t believe anybody that is doing domestic violence should be in there,” she said.
Mason, who is also a Boston police officer, showed a scar on her wrist that she claims to have suffered during an altercation with her former husband many years ago.
White denies threatening to shoot his ex-wife or striking a niece, which was also mentioned in an internal affairs report.
“They were false allegations,” he said. “They were already vetted through the courts.”
White requested to have a public meeting with Janey, but she said she would meet him in private.
Janey was initially expected to fire White during the meeting but a decision on White’s future with the police department has yet to be made.
“This morning there was a hearing. This hearing was to allow Commissioner White a chance to share any additional information that he wanted to share,” Janey said during a press conference that followed the meeting. “I will certainly make a decision after careful deliberation.”
Janey did not agree to an interview with 7NEWS, but in an interview with WGBH on Tuesday, Janey said she wanted to “move our police department forward” while also looking at the new statements.
“My team is looking at these videos as we speak, we will certainly consider all information,” Janey said. “I’m not sure why this information wasn’t captured in the investigation.”
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