The hot speculation in law enforcement here is whether D.C. Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty will retain Police Chief Charles Ramsey or find a new top police officer.
Ramsey, 56, has served as Washington police chief longer than any other officer since home rule; nearly a decade and his burly 5-foot-6 figure is familiar.
During the Democratic primary campaign, however, Fenty criticized Ramsey, saying that though the chief had greatly improved the department in his eight years, more could be done and an infusion of energy was needed.
Ramsey, Fenty said, would not survive his term as mayor.
Ramsey has said he’s considering other posts and was a recent candidate for the Boston police chief job.
It’s unclear when Fenty plans to replace Ramsey or whether he has someone in mind, but several former D.C. commanders have been brought up as possible successors.
One name mentioned most often is Richmond Police Chief Rodney Monroe. Monroe, a 22-year veteran of the Washington police force, had been the police chief of Macon, Ga., before moving to Richmond in 2005. He’s 49 years old.
Another person is Louisville Police Chief Robert White, who became the Kentucky city’s first black chief in 2002. White stared with the Metropolitan Police Department in 1972. He served as the first director of public safety for the D.C. Housing Authority and as an assistant police chief for the Metropolitan police department.
Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington was the second in command in Washington before becoming police chief in New Orleans in 1994. Pennington fired 300 NOPD officers and was credited for bringing some respectability to the force. In 2002, he ran for New Orleans mayor against Ray Nagin and lost. Pennington resigned and landed the top Atlanta job.
Pennington’s assistant police chief in Atlanta, Alan James Dreher, 52, was a 23-year veteran of the D.C. force.
At various times, he commanded Washington’s violent crime and gang task force, the intelligence branch, the homicide division and the office of planning and development, before becoming district commander in 2001.
