Fenty's Pick for Police Chief Has Made a Swift Ascent

She also said she is aware she could face some uphill battles as a white woman in a majority-black city. "If people get to know you, I think it's not a big deal," she said of her race. "If I treat everybody the way a chief should treat them, there won't be a problem."

Lanier lives in a home on six acres in Anne Arundel County with her 24-year-old son, her mother and her boyfriend, a D.C. police sergeant. She cares for five dogs, two of which are blind and deaf. She has agreed to move to the District "as soon as I can buy a house."

She's been with D.C. police for 16 years, starting first in patrol, then quickly moving up the ranks to commander. She worked in the 6th Police District in Southeast, then led the 4th District in Northeast. At the urging of Ramsey, she moved on to head the special operations division, where she worked on such issues as homeland security and counterterrorism.

In her homeland security position, she impressed many people around her, including Joseph Persichini Jr., assistant director of the Washington field office of the FBI. "Cathy just epitomizes the collaborative spirit," Persichini said.

Lanier said she is especially proud of her education, much of which she completed while working full time for the police. She studied criminal justice at the University of the District of Columbia and received a bachelor of science and a master's in management from Johns Hopkins University and a master of arts in homeland security and defense from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Her management style is to listen, build consensus and create specialized teams around her. She said her priorities include making police more visible on the street, improving the efficiency of the department and lifting morale by empowering officers and supervisors.

She said she does not expect to make wholesale change in the department -- something that already is drawing criticism from those who want a big shake-up.

"She's a protégé of Ramsey," said Betty Lewis, a community activist in Southeast Washington. Ramsey, in fact, had helped groom Lanier for the job. "They might as well keep Ramsey. Nothing is going to change with Cathy Lanier."

Others in the community who know Lanier said they were pleased with her selection. Sheila White, an activist in the area of Third and M streets NE, said Lanier was responsive and community-oriented when she voiced concerns about drug dealing in the area.

Terrance W. Gainer, former chief of the U.S. Capitol Police and the new sergeant-at-arms of the Senate, called Lanier a "great pick." Gainer, who once was Ramsey's second in command, said "Ramsey's feet are huge, and he's left a heck of a legacy."

"But she will create her own path," Gainer added. "She doesn't have to be Ramsey. She'll be Lanier."

Staff writer David Nakamura contributed to this report.