Denver’s new director of public safety is a veteran police officer and self-proclaimed “data geek” who said he will use those skills to improve areas of the city where people are being left behind.

Troy Riggs, a former Indianapolis police chief, also has close ties to Denver Police Chief Robert White, and he now leads an investigation into accusations of misconduct against White and Deputy Chief Matt Murray.

Riggs was appointed to the $168,861 per year job on Monday by Mayor Michael Hancock. He will oversee the city’s police, fire and sheriff’s department as well as 911 operations. He will supervise nearly 4,500 employees and manage a $540 million annual budget.

“Denver is a great city, but it can only fulfill its greatness when all of our citizens have an opportunity to succeed,” Riggs said at a news conference. “And you may ask what does public safety have to do with that? Well, it has a lot to do with that because public safety has a lot of … activity in areas where people are suffering.”

Stephanie O’Malley stepped down after four years as safety director to become a special assistant to the mayor charged with expanding business opportunities for women and minorities. She will be paid $145,00 annually for the newly created position.

O’Malley’s family is a political powerhouse. Her father, Wellington Webb, is a former mayor, and her mother, Wilma Webb, is a former state legislator.

O’Malley was not forced out, Hancock said. Instead, she was ready for a change, he said.

“I need someone with her talents and drive to help us keep on of the opportunities to strengthen the city’s work with minority- and women-owned businesses and better connect Denver residents and communities to jobs skills training and other economic opportunities,” he said.

O’Malley brought much-needed stability to the safety department after high turnover in the years before she took office. The focus of her tenure was a massive reform of the sheriff’s department — a task her office has said is nearly complete.

O’Malley was in charge during some high-profile deaths at the hands of the city’s law enforcement officers that cost millions in legal settlements. She also was a frequent target of criticism from the unions that represent the police and sheriff’s departments.

She was heavily criticized for what was seen as light punishment for sheriff’s deputies who killed inmate Michael Marshall in November 2015. The Citizen Oversight Board, which monitors law enforcement conduct, issued a letter saying it was disappointed in her decision. The city paid $4.6 million to Marshall’s family to prevent a lawsuit.

On Monday, Hancock said the continuing reform of the sheriff’s department will be a priority for Riggs.

“He will be focusing on continuing to bridge the gaps between law enforcement and the community members,” Hancock said.

Troy Riggs, Denver's new director of public safety, will manage nearly 4,500 people and a $540 million budget. pic.twitter.com/Jgxrk97Gbr — Noelle Phillips (@Noelle_Phillips) February 5, 2018

Riggs moved to Denver last fall to work as a deputy director in the safety department beneath O’Malley. He told the media on Monday that he did not accept the deputy position with the promise that he would become Denver’s next safety director.

Riggs’ most recent law enforcement job was as chief of the Indianapolis Police Department, a job he left after less than a year, citing financial concerns, according to a report in The Indianapolis Star. Riggs then became a fellow at the Indianapolis-based think tank Sagamore Institute.

Riggs also served as public safety director in Indianapolis from 2012 to 2015. He was chief of the Corpus Christi, Texas, police department from 2009 to 2011 after spending most of his career at the Louisville, Ky., police department.

“He has been a civilian and an officer. He has an intimate knowledge of the leadership skills and integrity required in these departments,” Hancock said.

On the same day Riggs was appointed in Denver, The Indianapolis Star reported that the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department failed to review 19 police shootings over two years, including in at least six fatal shootings. Riggs would have been the city’s safety director or its police chief for a portion of the newspaper’s review.

During the news conference, Riggs took issue with the article. He said, as safety director, he was the one who established a team to look at police discipline and created a nationally recognized system to track and review officer discipline. And, as chief, he said he expanded the city’s discipline review board but that he cannot account for what happened after he left.

“If it hadn’t been for the changes we made, they would have continued to have no oversight of police,” Riggs said.

Riggs developed his relationship with White in Louisville, serving as White’s deputy chief and chief of staff. Now, as White’s boss, Riggs will lead an investigation into White and Murray’s handling of an internal investigation and an open records request pertaining to that internal investigation. Riggs declined to comment until the investigation is finished.

“I will tell you at this point I have not looked at any of the investigation,” Riggs said. “Chief White and I do have a former past. I worked for him at some time, and then I went on to be a chief in other areas.”

He continued, “I’ve been a police chief since age 43. When you move through the ranks as fast I did, as blessed as I did, you end up supervising a lot of people that used to work for you. And if there’s any doubt I’ll do the right thing, I think you need to go back and look at my integrity in different places and how I’ve dealt with different issues.”

Mayor Michael Hancock is announcing a change in leadership at the city's public safety department. pic.twitter.com/meAlyqqm51 — Noelle Phillips (@Noelle_Phillips) February 5, 2018

Riggs’ appointment received mixed reviews.

Nick Rogers, president of the Denver Police Protective Association, which represents the department’s rank-and-file, was ready to build a relationship with Riggs even though the union has been at odds with White from the beginning.

“I believe Troy Riggs is an honorable man with integrity,” Rogers said. “I trust the process and believe he will do the right thing. Until he proves otherwise, I’m a Troy Riggs fan.”

Lisa Calderon, a frequent critic of Denver’s law enforcement and president of the Colorado Latino Forum’s Denver chapter, said the mayor should have sought more public input in hiring for such a high-profile position. She also cast doubt on whether Riggs could make an impartial decision in the White case.

“What we would have preferred is the community having input on one of the most important positions in the community,” she said.