WASHINGTON (AP) - Peter Newsham has been confirmed as chief of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington.
Newsham had been serving as interim chief since Cathy Lanier stepped down last fall to take a job as head of security for the National Football League.
Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser was impressed with the job Newsham did as interim chief, particularly with the inauguration and the Women’s March on Washington, and offered him the job on a permanent basis.
The D.C. Council voted 12-1 on Tuesday to confirm Newsham. Independent Council member David Grosso was the only member to vote against his confirmation.
A leading civil-rights attorney had urged the council not to confirm Newsham without an independent investigation of police actions on Inauguration Day, when more than 200 people were arrested for rioting.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.