DENVER — The Denver mayor has nominated Armando Saldate III as the new executive director of the Department of Safety for the city.
Mayor Michael B. Hancock announced the nomination Wednesday. Denver City Council will decide to confirm it.
Saldate would replace the current executive director, Murphy Robinson, who is stepping down this week after almost two years in the position.
Currently, Saldate serves as the Department of Safety's assistant deputy executive director. According to the city, he is a decorated public safety officer with decades of experience. Throughout his career, he has earned more than a dozen awards of appreciation and recognition. Most recently, he earned the Department of Safety’s 2021 Meritorious Service Medal. Saldate is also an active member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and a food pantry volunteer.
He joined the city in 2014 at the Denver Sheriff’s Department, where he initially worked as a senior investigator before rising in the ranks to civilian commander in the Internal Affairs Bureau and later as a supervisor in the department’s Data Science Unit. Before coming to Denver, he was in Arizona, where he worked for the Phoenix Police Department to start his career. He went on to work as a Federal Task Force Officer in the FBI Phoenix Division and served on the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.
“With Armando at the helm of this critical department as we enter this new year, we are going to sharpen our focus even more on improving public safety and reducing crime,” Mayor Hancock said. “His mix of law enforcement experience, diversity of professional background and collaborative approach to problem-solving make him a natural fit for this important role.”
Saldate has been tasked with additional responsibilities, including reviewing the city’s public safety programs and initiatives to observe what seems to be working and what is not.
Saldate said he recognizes the "immense challenges" that Denver's Department of Safety faces every day.
“I know many of you are concerned about crime in Denver," he said. "While we are seeing an uptick in crime across major cities in the United States, what matters is what is happening in our city. We need to restore order in our city while providing valuable resources to those who are struggling in our communities, and we can only do that if we work together. The Department of Safety will be at the table with you to work to make Denver safer for everyone.”