DENVER — Denver police chief Robert White announced his retirement on Tuesday. He will remain on the job until a replacement is named.

“On behalf of everyone in Denver, I want to thank Chief White for his dedication to our city and his distinguished service over these past six years,” Mayor Michael Hancock said in a statement.

“Through his great work, he has firmly established a legacy of building strong community relationships and a police department better equipped and prepared to keep our neighborhoods and residents safe, and I wish the Chief all the best in his much-deserved retirement.”

“It has been my honor to serve the people of this great city and this department of truly exceptional officers and staff,” White said in a statement.

“And I want to thank Mayor Hancock for allowing me the opportunity to strengthen the department and its bonds to the community.

“It has been an incredibly challenging and rewarding six plus years that I will forever be grateful for and proud of.”

White was appointed as chief in 2011 by Hancock. He was previously police chief in Louisville, Kentucky, and Greensboro, North Carolina.

White’s tenure had some controversy.

In 2017, a survey of 45 percent of officers in the Denver Police Protective Association found more than 90 percent of officers did not have confidence in White.

The president of the association said he should be fired.

White was also at the center of a open records request in May 2016. White was accused of not giving a letter to DPPA.

The letter was from then-Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey criticizing the the arrest of an officer and woman for alleged sex crime.

Hancock said in April that White would not be punished for not turning over the letter. The mayor blamed poor communication.