BOISE, Idaho — The Boise Police Department is set to welcome a new Chief of Police in September, as Christopher Dennison is sworn into office at City Hall by Boise Mayor McLean.
- Outgoing Chief Ron Winegar reflects on his unexpected return to the force two years ago, aiming to bring stability and prioritize officer wellness.
- Incoming Chief Dennison will officially start in office on September 15th, with Chief Winegar set to retire on September 20th.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
A new chapter for the Boise Police Department will start in September as Chris Dennison is sworn in to become the Chief of Police.
Dennison previously worked as Assistant Chief for the Tucson Police Department, where he started his career in law enforcement in 2002.
It’s a bittersweet ceremony for outgoing Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar. His ascent two years ago into the position of Police Chief was an expedited experience after deciding to ditch retirement to return to the force.
“I think the one word that comes to mind is ‘overwhelmed.’ I certainly had no intention of coming back; I was happily coasting down the highways of retired life, then all of a sudden, it felt like I was going up a mountain at top speed,” says outgoing Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar.
Winegar took charge of the department in October 2022, after previous Police Chief Ryan Lee resigned following an investigation into allegations that Lee broke a sergeant's neck during a department briefing.
“I think my biggest goal when I returned was simply to bring a sense of stability and a sense of calm to some of the things that may have been chaotic at the time in the department and in the community, frankly. Big priorities that I felt were important—one of those was employee wellness, officer wellness, and taking care of the people that we ask to take care of our community,” says Winegar.
As Idaho News Six has previously reported, a separate lawsuit centered around the Office of Police Accountability was settled by the City of Boise last May.
“I do think many of the relationships that have maybe been a struggle over the years are moving in the right direction. We absolutely enjoy a good relationship with the Office of Police Accountability; we are really interested in the same things. We want our officers to be professional; we want them to provide the best service possible,” says Winegar.
We hoped to sit down with soon-to-be Chief Dennison, but the department denied our request, instead pointing to his official start date in mid-September.
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean joined the ceremony to welcome Dennison to the City of Trees.
“So pleased that Chris accepted the offer to become Boise’s next Police Chief. We were looking for someone who would take care of our officers and put officer wellness, care, and morale first,” says Boise Mayor Lauren McLean.
“I can empathize a little bit, I think, with Chief Dennison in that the next six months to a year are going to be really, really, really busy for him,” says Chief Winegar.
