Vernon White officially named Ottawa's next police chief

It's official Durham Regional Police Chief Vernon White willbecome the head of the Ottawa Police Service in June.

The Ottawa police department held a news conference Friday confirming the information that has aired on local media since Wednesday.

Police services board chair Henry Jensen said White was chosen for his police leadership and investigative experience, his ability to speak both English and French, his willingness to be innovative and his success reaching out to diverse communities.

Whitetold reporterswhy he chose to move to Ottawa less than two years after becoming head of the force in the region just east of Toronto.

"It was about again moving to a city that I loved," he said, adding his family played a big role in the decision to return to Ottawa, where he worked as an assistant commissioner for the RCMP before heading to Durham Region.

White cited one notable benefit to living in Ottawa: "An opportunity to cheer for a hockey team that I loved. And I never could become a Leafs fan, so it was a challenge [to be] near Toronto."

White will become chief in June. Chief Vince Bevan will retire at the end of this month. Deputy chief Larry Hill willbe acting chief in the interim.

White resigned Thursday from his Durham position but will stay on there until mid-May. He is leaving a five-year contract that began in September 2005.