Boise Mayor Lauren McLean announced Thursday she has chosen Ron Winegar to serve as the permanent Chief of Police. The choice has to be confirmed by City Council next week.
Winegar was on the Boise Police force for nearly three decades and had retired, until former Police Chief Ryan Lee resigned at the request of McLean in September 2022. Mayor McLean had asked Winegar to serve as interim chief until she could appoint a permanent chief.
In a news release McLean said, “Ron has demonstrated leadership in the department and our community, so I’ve asked him to continue leading the Boise Police Department as our permanent Police Chief."
Winegar said in aninterview with George Prentice in January that Mayor McLean's call to have him return was "completly out of the blue," but he said he would be there for as long as he was helpful and needed.
Over the years, Winegar has held several roles with the department, starting in 1993 as a patrol officer and was promoted to sergeant in 1999. After Chief Bill Bones retired in 2019, Winegar served a couple short terms as acting chief and continued to serve as deputy chief until he retired in June 2021.
Winegar's confirmation is happening at the City Council meeting on May 3 and you can watch in-person at City Hall or online.
