 I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Came to Denver in 1977, when I was one year graduating from Gateway High School, became a police officer in 1981. Originally, we were small agencies and joined in Denver Police Department in 1987. I played baseball, golf. I like to get out and enjoy myself. Family, married, have children. They've all graduated proudly from college and gone on with their lives. I'm excited about this new piece of chapter in my career where I was appointed to Commander of District 5, which is the northeast quadrant of Denver. Interesting growing up in Brooklyn in the projects, we would have neighborhood police officers walk through the projects. As a young boy, I would always laugh and joke with the police officer, Officer Winston. Can never forget the guy. And we created a relationship where we would talk and laugh and joke and always seen him as a friend. As I thought that was a really good relationship. When I got old, I learned what a police officer was and what the responsibilities of an officer. And I said, I want to do that. The day I turned 21 was the day I started my law enforcement career. 32 years later, here I am. Well, moved to Colorado in 1977. And families, my mother says, you know, New York is getting a little too rough for a boy. So we all came out here where my uncle lived and Colorado was a nicer community to live in. When I became a police officer, originally it was in a small city, Denver offered a lot more of a challenge. It offers a lot more diversity in assignment and diversity in people, the diversity of cultures. So I thought that was an opportunity for me to explore the things I like to do the best. And that's hanging with people. Policing has many challenges, but one of the challenges I take internally is how to restore public trust. I think it's so easy, it's so fragile and it's so easy to diminish public trust. We get paid to do things right, but we also get paid to do them the right way. I think it's one thing to wanna do the right thing, but you gotta do it the right way. That's where the challenge comes in when you talk about split second decisions. You talk about remembering laws or remembering policy and you're talking about what you do not only affects you and others, but it has long-term effects on the image of the organization. The challenge is to maintain that image to be a positive image, have people trust us externally and internal trust within the organization. I think that's where leadership comes in. I think that's where putting people or leaders in key positions in the organization will help build those public trust. And that's the challenge that Chief White is out to demonstrate and saying what the leadership team he's put together. First, I gotta lean back up. I worked District 5 maybe 20 years ago and it's interesting, the streets are the same, but not as a lot of stuff on those streets. My first challenge in District 5 is to re-meet the community, reconnect with the different communities, the growing community. I'm talking about people with legitimate power and people with grassroots power, people who make things happen. At the same time, to connect with the Peoria Corridor, the Tower Road Corridor, the business districts, that's a huge challenge. I think that's how you continue to build public trust, but also, you have to bring your ears to those challenges. You have to listen to what's being said. I'm excited about that challenge. In regards to how we affect the community, I surrounded myself with a good leadership team of lieutenants and sergeants. And I rely on those officers to help me lead the organization, help me listen to what our communities are saying, help me provide the tools and the resources for my officers to provide the service that we say we will do. I also want the feedback from both sides, from my organization, from my leadership team, from my communities, of what are we doing as it being effective. I'm excited about those challenges because this is a job that comes with no instructions. This is a job that you have proven through the years of experience, the years of learning new processes, understanding how to manage, understanding how to lead, and now you have to put those theories in effect and make them work. What you'll find, I'm very flexible, very fair. I love people. I love to get out and I spend most of my time walking through the community where I'm just walking through the store. I really enjoy those real human contacts with folks because that's the time to create those bonds, those trust. That's the time to develop what's the devil police officer made of? What do they really like? Is it like we see on TV? Is it like the image I learned as a child? Who is less parent? Who does he represent? So I want people to know that I'm here. I'm always available. You can contact me anytime of the day and I will listen and then at the same time I'll offer some advice, some opinions or resources, whatever the challenge may be.