William Gross, First Black Boston Police Commissioner, Retiring This Week

Boston Police Commissioner William Gross is set to retire this week, Mayor Marty Walsh announced during a press conference on Thursday (January 28.)

Gross became the first Black commissioner in the city's history when he was sworn in Augst 2018, CBS Boston reports. Dennis White will replace Gross as the city's 43rd police commissioner and second Black commissioner in history.

Gross held the position for two-and-a-half years and is reportedly contemplating running for mayor, although sources told CBS Boston political analyst Jon Keller that it Gross is unlikely to run.

Gross joined the Boston Police Department in 1983 as a cadet and worked his way up the ranks during his tenure.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as Police Commissioner, leading a department of hardworking men and women who serve this city day-in and day-out, and put the safety and well-being of our community first,” Gross said in a statement obtained by CBS Boston Thursday. “It is only after long and careful consideration that I have made the decision to retire from my role. My heart will always remain alongside my brothers and sisters of the BPD, who over the course of my 37-year career have become my village. I will continue to be one of their biggest champions as I move forward with my next chapter.”

“I want to thank Commissioner Gross from the bottom of my heart for his 37 years of service to the Boston Police Department and for his two and a half years leading the department as Commissioner. Throughout his decorated career, he’s always embodied the spirit of community policing that is so important to building trust with the people we serve,” Walsh said in a statement. “We can all be proud of the legacy he’ll leave behind, from reducing major crime to helping undertake the most ambitious set of police reforms in the department’s history.”

White is currently serving as superintendent and chief of staff to the commissioner in the Boston Police Department.

“The women and men of the Boston Police Department have become my extended family over the course of my three decades of service,” White said in a statement.

“I want to thank Mayor Walsh for entrusting me with this incredible opportunity and the responsibility of leading our historic department. To the community and all the members of the Boston Police Department, I pledge to uphold our mission of community policing each and every day. Serving as Commissioner is the honor of a lifetime, and I will never take this sacred duty for granted.”

Mayor Walsh is not running for re-election after having been nominated to serve as Labor Secretary for President Joe Biden's administration earlier this month.

Photo: Getty Images/Boston Police Department