WEBB INCLUDES OUTSIDE CANDIDATES IN POLICE CHIEF SEARCH

Montoya gets ideas from Houston mayor; interim boss
possible

The Denver mayor's office this week began looking outside the
department for a possible new chief of police.

Manager of Safety Butch Montoya met with Houston Mayor Lee Brown --
the nation's former drug czar -- in a search for ideas as the city
looks for a new police chief.

Montoya returned late Tuesday after meeting in Houston with Brown, a
former police chief in New York City.

Denver Mayor Wellington Webb is looking for a new chief after firing
Tom Sanchez on Feb. 8, and he hasn't committed to hiring from within
the department.

"The mayor is very serious in terms of looking outside as well as
within," said Webb's spokesman, Andrew Hudson.

Brown is not a candidate, Hudson said.

But he has a resume that includes serving as police chief in Atlanta,
Houston and New York and having served as director of the White House
Office of National Drug Control Policy during President Clinton's
first term. And that makes his thoughts valuable, Hudson said.

Although Webb fired Sanchez, he was allowed retire, effective Feb. 22.
Webb initially announced that he intended to have a new chief named by
then, but Hudson acknowledged Tuesday that it may take longer. In that
case, Webb could name an interim chief to run the department while he
looks.

"He's willing to extend it if need be," Hudson said.

At the same time, no potential candidates within the department have
applied.

Webb reviewed the resumes of many of the department's top commanders
in the summer of 1998 when then-Chief Dave Michaud was preparing to
retire, Hudson said, and he remains very familiar with those
candidates.