Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock recently nominated Armando Saldate III to be Executive Director of the Department of Safety. Saldate’s nomination is subject to confirmation by Denver City Council. He will replace Murphy Robinson, who is stepping down at the end of this week after serving in the position for nearly two years.
“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.”
Armando Saldate III has been nominated by the Denver Mayor the Executive Director of the Department of Safety.
Mayor Hancock also has tasked Saldate with reviewing the city’s public safety programs and initiatives to see what is working, what is not, what needs expanding and what more can be done to address crime and other public safety challenges.
Saldate currently serves as the department’s Assistant Deputy Executive Director and is a highly decorated public safety officer with decades of experience. He helped develop Denver’s Early Intervention and Street Enforcement teams, directed large-scale COVID-19 testing sites, and has overseen major events such as last summer’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Through his extensive and diverse law enforcement, corrections, emergency response and public safety expertise, Saldate brings to the Executive Director position exemplary leadership, progressive practices and data-driven methods to effectively direct public safety resources, staff, operations and policies.
“It is an honor to have the opportunity to serve the Denver community as the Executive Director of Public Safety. Given my extensive background in public safety, I recognize the immense challenges that our agencies face each and every day,” Saldate said. “I know many of you are concerned about crime in Denver. 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.”
Saldate joined the city in 2014 with the Denver Sheriff’s Department, first serving as a senior investigator, then as Civilian Commander in the Internal Affairs Bureau and later as a supervisor in the department’s Data Science Unit.
He began his career in public safety in 1993 with the Phoenix Police Department, where he collaborated with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to reduce gang violence and terrorism and increase public safety. In 1999, he was deputized and assigned as a Federal Task Force Officer to the FBI Phoenix Division, where he served on the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force – National Security Squads, FBI Fusion Center/AZ Counter Terrorism Information Center, Organized Crime Bureau Intelligence Unit and FBI Violent Gang Task Force, among other assignments. After more than 20 years of exemplary service, he retired with honors from the Phoenix Police Department in 2014.
Saldate is an active member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and food pantry volunteer and previously held leadership positions within his faith community, private elementary school board and parent club. Throughout his law enforcement career, he has earned more than a dozen awards of appreciation and recognition, most recently earning the Department of Safety’s 2021 Meritorious Service Medal.
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