BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White has filed an injunction against Mayor Kim Janey and the city of Boston saying they do not have the right to remove him from his job.
Acting Mayor Kim Janey announced Friday afternoon that the investigation into Dennis White has been concluded and a hearing will be held to determine the next steps.
“By statute, any removal requires notice, a hearing and cause,” said White’s attorney Nick Carter. “Mayor Janey ran roughshod over those legal requirements today.”
White has been on administrative leave two days after being sworn in back in February. Former Mayor Marty Walsh made the call after a 22-year-old civil restraining order stemming from an alleged domestic violence suit was made public.
The city hired an independent investigator to look into the case. According to Janey, the investigation uncovered a “culture of fear and silence within the Boston Police Department.”
She said one retired officer told them he received five phone calls warning him not to cooperate with the investigations.
A redacted version of Attorney Kaplan’s report can be found here.
“The future leadership of the Boston Police Department is an urgent matter as we move our city forward,” she said.
On a phone call Friday morning, Janey said she has made it clear to him that she feels it is time to move the department in a different direction.
“Acting Mayor Janey ambushed Commissioner White this morning,” said Carter. “The city does not have evidence and is basing their case on rumors and hearsay.”
White filed a motion against the city of Boston and Mayor Janey accusing them of unlawfully seeking to remove him from his position.
“We intend to demonstrate to the court that the process here has been improper and that he deserves to be reinstated as commissioner,” said Carter.
The mayor promised change as the city waits to find out who will be leading the department. “It is time to move the department forward, this cloud cannot continue,” she said.
Chief Greg Long will remain in an acting commissioner role for the time being.
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