Dennis White

Says mother lied about threats, abuse

The older daughter of Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White said Monday the decades-old domestic abuse allegations brought against him by his ex-wife, her mother, are not true.

The Boston Globe recently discovered allegations that he shoved and threatened to shoot his exwife in the late 1990s. The woman, who GBH News is not identifying, was granted a restraining order against him in 1999.

“It was a lie. It was a lie,” daughter Tiffany White told GBH News in an emotional, in-person interview Monday, during which she teared up a few times.

White, 38, who was a teenager at the time of the incident, said the couple had “relationship problems like any couple,” but she never witnessed her father being violent towards her mother.

“I can 100 percent guarantee everything on my soul – I would put that on the line – that man has never hit my mother. Ever,” she said, referring to the period when she lived with her parents.

Tiffany White recalled seeing aggressive behavior in her home, but said it was initiated by her mom.

“I have seen my mother put her hands on my father, throw stuff at him. And I have seen him try to get away,” she said.

GBH News could not confirm when the restraining order expired. His ex-wife, Tiffany’s mother, did not respond to phone calls Monday afternoon seeking comment.

Commissioner White was sworn in Feb. 1 to replace outgoing commissioner William Gross, only to be placed on leave days later when the Globe revealed the old domestic violence allegations.

He remains on administrative leave while an outside attorney reviews the allegations against him. The investigation process, led by Tamsin Kaplan of Davis Malm law firm, could take several weeks, the mayor’s office said Monday.

Dennis White’s ascension to the head of the police department has sparked criticism of the selection process, which has happened without national searches common in other large cities.

The decision to place him on leave, however, has sparked outcry from his supporters who told GBH News the situation smacks of the disparate treatment of Black police officers in Boston.

“While we are confused as to why additional investigation is necessary, given that the accusation must have been known and fully vetted before, we do not object. What we object to is the decision to immediately place a minority police officer on leave pending an investigation for an unspecified period of time versus conducting the investigation and then making a decision,” said the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers in a recent statement.

“We object to the disparity of treatment minority officers are faced with when they are placed under investigation,” the association added.

In a recent interview with GBH News, Jamie Sabino, a lawyer with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, said that while restraining orders should not be brushed over, they should not automatically bar officers from being considered for leadership positions, especially if their subjects have maintained lives and careers without incident since the initial allegations.

“Were there some consequences, or was it ignored? And, if it was ignored … What does he say now about the situation? How did he change, if there was an issue?” Sabino asked.

Tiffany White, said the resurfaced allegations felt like a gut punch, given that her father was always supportive and protective of her and her younger sister.

White also noted that for the entire duration of her father’s career, her mother has not raised concerns as he advanced through BPD ranks. She described the current relationship of her parents as polite.

“They’ve been at family functions together. They’ve been in weddings together, they’re cordial. They’re not best friends,” she continued, “But … when they see each other, whoever initiates a hug, the other one gives a hug.”

White said she believes the investigation will vindicate her father.

At the very least, he should be put back to work, she said.

“I don’t think he should’ve been put on administrative leave,” she said. “There’s plenty of cops that have open cases of domestic violence and other stuff, and they’re still actively working.”

White said she wanted to speak up in her father’s defense because “you’re supposed to speak up for what’s right and what’s just.”

Saraya Wintersmith covers Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan for GBH News 89.7.