Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White said Friday he is retiring, effective Jan. 14. 

“I leave behind an amazing Police Department with fantastic employees,” White said in a press release. 

White came on board as Coeur d’Alene's police chief in 2014. Before that, he spent 22 years with the Mesa Police Department in Arizona. 

“During his tenure, he has been instrumental in strengthening community policing initiatives, modernizing department operations, and significantly reducing crime in the city of Coeur d’Alene,” the release said. 

Under his leadership, the city saw a 78% drop in crime, even as the population grew by more than 22,000 residents. Today, Coeur d’Alene experiences fewer crime victims than it did in the 1980s, the release said. 

“Chief White’s commitment to public safety has helped make Coeur d’Alene a safer and more connected community. We are grateful for his service and wish him the very best in his well-earned retirement,” Mayor Woody McEvers said. 

In his letter notifying the city of his retirement, White wrote that Coeur d’Alene “had the misfortune of being the subject of national news on several occasions because of events outside of our control but the men and women of the department have always performed with competence and professionalism throughout these difficult circumstances.” 

White led the police department through the slaying of Sgt. Greg Moore in 2015; the June 2020 night when hundreds of armed men and women patrolled downtown Coeur d’Alene due to reports and rumors of rioters headed there; arrests of Patriot Front members in 2022 allegedly headed to a pride event in City Park; a racial incident in downtown Coeur d’Alene involving a women’s college basketball team that drew national attention in 2024; a fire that destroyed a building with millions of dollars of police gear and equipment in 2024; and the shooting of Coeur d’Alene firefighters at Canfield Mountain earlier this year. 

City Administrator Troy Tymesen said the city will consider its options to replace White, including promoting from within or conducting a nationwide search.  

Tymesen said the reduction in crime under White's watch was a testament to his experience and abilities.

White said if a new police chief has not been named by his retirement date, Capt. Dave Hagar will become the acting police chief.

"I know the officers of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department will continue to serve with pride and excellence, and it was the honor of my life to serve them and our citizens as chief," he said.