associated with the Phoenix Police Department. Newsham was one of eight finalists for the position in Fort Myers. Appointment as Chief of Police Following the departure of Cathy Lanier as Chief Of Police in September, 2016, Newsham was named Interim Police Chief by Mayor Muriel Bowser. As Interim Police Chief, one of the first matters to be addressed by Newsham was the investigation of Edgar Maddison Welch for firing shots from an AR-15-style rifle at the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria. Welch had been convinced by Pizzagate conspiracy theory proponents on the internet that the restaurant was part of a Democratic Party child sex ring. Newsham visited the restaurant in a show of support the following week, speaking out against the consequences of fake news. In January 2017, Newsham oversaw city-wide police preparations for the Inauguration of Donald Trump, with its anticipated high number of protests. In February 2017 Newsham was nominated as Chief of Police by Mayor Muriel Bowser. Protester disruptions caused the suspension of his first oversight hearing, and the ACLU recommended delaying the confirmation vote until an investigation was concluded. In defending her nomination of Newsham to be police chief, Mayor Bowser praised his "commitment to transparency" and "“availability to his officers and members of the public", and said she was impressed with the job her nominee did as interim chief, citing the police department's performance during the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump and the ensuing Women’s March on Washington on his watch. On the eve of a confirmation vote by the D.C. council, the Washington City Paper'' said of the nominee, "He's generally respected by the rank-and-file when it comes to policing, and he has managed to forge his own reputation as a leader despite years of being the main enforcer for former Chief Cathy Lanier, who was not particularly well liked by the rank-and-file", while noting allegations of domestic and alcohol abuse made in the 1990s, and "a professional history stained by a high-profile mass arrest gone bad". Newsham was approved by the Council in a 12-1 vote, with the sole dissenting vote coming from Councilmember David Grosso. Administration as Chief of Police Newsham has identified his priorities as chief to address trust in the community and officer morale. Following a massive gunfight in Northeast Washington in January, 2019, in which more than 40 bullets were fired in front of a barbershop long suspected by police