About Us

Armando Saldate III was nominated as the Executive Director of Public Safety by Mayor Hancock in January 2022 and confirmed by Denver City Council in February 2022. Director Saldate oversees the Denver Police Department, Denver Fire Department, Denver Sheriff Department, Denver 9-1-1, Community Corrections, Public Safety Youth Programs, and the Office of Community Violence Solutions.

Director Saldate is a career law enforcement professional, having started his career in public safety as the top police recruit with the Phoenix Police Department in 1993. While with Phoenix PD, Saldate focused on gang violence reduction and was deputized as a Special Agent and US Marshal with the FBI’s Phoenix Division. While in that position, he was a member of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and completed assignments with the Counter Terrorism Information Center, Organized Crime Bureau Intelligence Unit, FBI Violent Gang Task Force, Dignitary Protection Unit, and others. Saldate has been recognized by three former directors of the FBI, the United States Secret Service Phoenix Division, US Capitol Police, Central Intelligence Agency, Phoenix Police Department, Denver Sheriff Department, and many others throughout his career. He retired from Phoenix PD in 2014 with honors after more than 20 years of service.

After relocating to Colorado, Saldate joined the Denver Sheriff Department as a senior investigator, and later served as a supervisor in DSD’s Data Science Unit and as the Civilian Commander in the Internal Affairs Bureau. He then accepted a position in the Department of Safety as a Performance Improvement Manager. Most recently, Saldate was an Assistant Deputy Director in DOS leading efforts around the Pepsi Center COVID-19 Testing Site and overseeing the creation and implementation of the Early Intervention Team and Street Enforcement Team.

In his free time, Director Saldate enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, volunteering with school and faith-based organizations, and spending time in the Denver community.

Mary Dulacki is the Chief Deputy Executive Director responsible for serving as Director Robinson's second in command and oversees Commissions and Accountability in the Public Safety Department.

Ms. Dulacki, a native of Denver, is a former prosecutor and judge. During her 11 years working for Department of Public Safety, she established herself as a leading expert in the Colorado Open Records (CORA) and Colorado Criminal Justice Records (CCJRA) acts. She also drafted policies to support reform efforts in the Denver Sheriff Department. And, she brought city and state agencies and stakeholders together to address arrest-identification issues and advised on policy matters as a member of the city’s Information Governance and XO committees.

Ms. Dulacki is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Denver Law School.

Daelene Mix is a Deputy Director for the Department of Public Safety and oversees Public Safety Transformation & Policy and Safety Human Resources.

Prior to her appointment as Deputy Director in 2019, Ms. Mix served as Chief of Staff to the Executive Director of Public Safety, providing strategic guidance on complex operational, management and organizational priorities and initiatives. Ms. Mix has been with the Department of Public Safety since 2011, previously serving as Strategic Advisor to the Executive Director and Communications Director for the Department. In these roles she advanced efforts of high importance, providing direction and oversight to ensure efficient and timely completion of executive priorities.

Ms. Mix is a graduate of Colorado State University. 

Laura Wachter is a Deputy Director in the Department of Public Safety and oversees Program Management and Finance.

Ms. Wachter began her career as a budget analyst with the City of Kansas City, Missouri and then moved to Phoenix, Arizona to become the Financial Manager for the State of Arizona School Facilities board in 2002, where she successfully prepared an annual $918.8 million budget request for the Governor, and created a 5-year strategic plan that incorporated revenue models, expenditure trend forecasts, and performance measures. In 2004, she was hired by the City of Phoenix to coordinate a $4.9 billion 5-year capital improvement plan. After the plan was successfully implemented, she joined Denver’s Budget Management Office at the end of 2004 as a Senior Financial Management Analyst.

Ms. Wachter has a bachelor's degree in mathematics and political science with honors from Indiana University and a master's degree in public policy and management with distinction from Carnegie Mellon University.