Detroit Police Chief James White is in the running for CEO of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN).
The chief confirmed to BridgeDetroit Wednesday that he applied for the position.
“It’s an extremely important role at a critical time for Detroit and Wayne County. We continue to have a mental health crisis in our community that needs to be addressed at multiple levels,” White said in a statement.
“I look forward to a competitive process and want to respect the process by not saying anything further at this time,” he added. “As the process continues, I am fully committed to serving as Detroit’s Police Chief.”
White’s statement came hours ahead of a meeting of the CEO Search Committee for DWHIN where officials shared the names of the eight finalists being considered for the position.
Besides White, other candidates are: DWIHN’s Vice President of Governmental Affairs and Chief of Staff Brooke Blackwell-Burch as well as Cathy Dockery, Michael Hunter, Elizabeth M. Knisely, Lori Sumner, Muddasar Tawakkul and William Ward.
DWIHN is the state’s largest healthcare safety net organization, serving people with serious mental health issues, disabilities and substance abuse disorders.
After becoming police chief in 2021, one of White’s first actions after becoming Detroit’s police chief in 2021 was leading an expansion of the police department’s strategy to address a rise in mental health emergencies. White, a licensed mental health counselor, created a new unit that dispatches behavioral health specialists from DWIHN alongside officers trained in crisis intervention techniques. The unit responded to 2,770 calls in 2023.
After the departure of previous CEO Eric Doeh in June, a search collected more than 60 applications for the top post. The list was narrowed to eight finalists after eliminating candidates who are not from the Detroit metro area or lacked appropriate experience. Each candidate was contacted by DWHIN to inform them of their advancement, and were given an opportunity to withdraw before their names were released publicly.
Job responsibilities include overseeing daily operations and maintaining partnerships with agencies like the Detroit Police Department.
In June, White told BridgeDetroit he’s proud of his accomplishments as chief of DPD, that three years have gone by quickly and he’s “starting to think of my future” but “I haven’t made any decisions yet.”
The mayor’s office didn’t have an immediate comment.
The Detroit native grew up in the Boston-Edison neighborhood and is a 28-year veteran who returned to the department after leading the Michigan Civil Rights Commission.
White previously worked to steer the Police Department out of federal oversight that had been in place for 11 years. He touted constitutional policing and targeted mental health issues since his first press conference.
On Wednesday evening, the chief took part in his typical Walk A Mile Wednesday in the police department’s 4th Precinct, an effort to promote fitness and strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and the community.
The event is one of several attended by resident Theresa Scott, who said White’s leadership has made a significant impact and would be sad to see him move on.
“He’s one of the best police chiefs that the city has had thus far, not discounting the other ones,” Scott told BridgeDetroit. “He’s been epic in his attempts to cure the city of violence.”
White has been an advocate for creating more long-term care facilities throughout Michigan. He and Duggan promoted their strategy to improve police responses to mental health crisis calls on a statewide stage during the Mackinac Policy Conference in the spring. White has said DPD “cannot arrest our way through mental illness” emergencies.
Doeh, who resigned in June after three years leading DWIHN, was a supporter of DWIHN’s partnership with DPD when it was unveiled in 2021. DWIHN has similar mental health response partnerships with police in Inkster, Grosse Pointe, Harper Woods and Southgate.
Manny Singla, who previously served as executive vice president of operations, was appointed as DWIHN’s interim CEO in July. A posting for the CEO job went up the same month and was closed by Aug. 2.
The CEO Search Committee consists of Board Chair Dr. Cynthia Taueg, Secretary Eva Garza Dewaelsche, Johnathan Kinloch, Bernard Parker and Kenya Ruth.
Quinn Banks contributed to this report.