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New Boston Police Commissioner On Leave For Past Domestic Abuse Allegations

BOSTON (CBS) - Just two days after he was sworn into office, Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White was put on leave because of a domestic incident with his ex-wife years ago.

White said he was fulfilling a dream when he was sworn in as Boston's 43rd police commissioner after former head William Gross abruptly announced his retirement.

Now there are new revelations out of Boston Municipal Court and an incident outlined in a divorce case dating back more than two decades.

dennis white
Dennis White after he was sworn in as Boston's 43rd police commissioner, Feb. 1, 2021. (Photo credit: Boston Mayor's Office - Jeremiah Robinson)

In a handwritten affidavit, his then-wife, who was also a Boston Police officer, wrote "…I am afraid that he may come inside and kill me because he is angry."

In a police interview, she said the couple's daughter was afraid. "Her father said to her 'Don't startle me when you come up 'cause I sleep with a gun under my pillow.'" The report goes on to say, "She thought the comment by her father was a warning."

Sources tell the WBZ I-Team that White's ex-wife accused him of hitting her and threatening to shoot her, and that his supervisors once raised concerns about time-card irregularities.

"It sounds like there wasn't a vetting process, which is unacceptable," said Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell. "This really talks about the lack of accountability and transparency, and really just patterns of behaviors in our department that either get overlooked, or brushed under the rug."

On Wednesday, Mayor Marty Walsh released a statement saying, "These disturbing issues were not known to me or my staff, but should have been at the forefront."

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