Source: Kerlikowske Obama's new drug czar
SEATTLE -- The city's top cop may be on his way to Washington, D.C. to take on a new role, according to a report by the Seattle P-I.
The newspaper reports Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske has been appointed to a new law enforcement post within the Obama administration which would return him to federal law enforcement after almost a decade as Seattle's top cop.
A administrator in the Seattle Police Department said Tuesday that Kerlikowske notified commanders that he would be appointed as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a cabinet-level post often referenced as the White House "drug czar," the P-I said.
The position oversees an agency that sets the nation's drug control strategy and spending priorities for it. Kerlikowske informed his command staff during a meeting late last week, the source told the P-I.
"I think he knows the right things to do for communities, cops, prosecutors and the defense bar. I think he is well qualified for this," the source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Kerlikowske declined comment.
His nomination would be subject to Senate confirmation.
In December, Kerlikowske told the Seattle P-I he likely was under consideration for a high-level post in the new administration, but declined to be more specific. He said he would be interested in something that would enable him to influence policy, but would hesitate to leave Seattle for a purely bureaucratic position.
"There are a lot of positions where you're the deputy assistant director of something. At my age, at this point in my career, I'd want something where you feel like you could make a real impact," he said at the time.
The source said that an interim chief likely would be appointed while the city searches for a permanent replacement, a process that could be months away.
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Seattle P-I is a media partner of KOMO News.You can read the full article by clicking here.
The newspaper reports Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske has been appointed to a new law enforcement post within the Obama administration which would return him to federal law enforcement after almost a decade as Seattle's top cop.
A administrator in the Seattle Police Department said Tuesday that Kerlikowske notified commanders that he would be appointed as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a cabinet-level post often referenced as the White House "drug czar," the P-I said.
The position oversees an agency that sets the nation's drug control strategy and spending priorities for it. Kerlikowske informed his command staff during a meeting late last week, the source told the P-I.
"I think he knows the right things to do for communities, cops, prosecutors and the defense bar. I think he is well qualified for this," the source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Kerlikowske declined comment.
His nomination would be subject to Senate confirmation.
In December, Kerlikowske told the Seattle P-I he likely was under consideration for a high-level post in the new administration, but declined to be more specific. He said he would be interested in something that would enable him to influence policy, but would hesitate to leave Seattle for a purely bureaucratic position.
"There are a lot of positions where you're the deputy assistant director of something. At my age, at this point in my career, I'd want something where you feel like you could make a real impact," he said at the time.
The source said that an interim chief likely would be appointed while the city searches for a permanent replacement, a process that could be months away.
.
Seattle P-I is a media partner of KOMO News.You can read the full article by clicking here.