3 finalists for Seattle police chief position named
SEATTLE -- A citizen search committee has named the three finalists in the city's search for a new police chief.
Seattle's Interim Police Chief John Diaz, Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel and East Palo Alto (California) Police Chief Ron Davis are the three remaining candidates.
The 26-member Seattle Police Chief Search Committee submitted the three names to Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn on Tuesday.
"We had nine fabulous candidates, and they all had a lot to offer the community," said search committee member Kate Jonchas. "But when it came down to it and the committee looked, this is where we came to agreement on which three we thought were best for the mayor."
The committee says it did not discuss the specifics of the Seattle police stomping video in deciding on the finalists.
"I don't think the release of the video played a specific role. Right off the top, we were concerned about ethics. We were concerned about social justice," said committee member Charles Rolland.
The vote for Diaz, Braziel and Davis was not unanimous. Three people on the search team said they would have picked other contenders, but refused to elaborate.
"I have a slight disagreement as to who the three candidates should've been on that slate, but not a total disagreement. And I think the mayor's got a good slate," said Tina Bueche, a search committee member.
"I'm looking forward now to spending time with the finalists, allowing the public to get to know them, and choosing a chief for all of Seattle," McGinn said in a written statement. "I'll be looking for a chief who shares my values of public safety, fairness, and a commitment to racial and social justice."
The mayor will choose a new police chief from the three finalists, and the the mayor's pick will then have to be confirmed by the Seattle City Council.
The three finalists were among the 11 candidates the mayor named last month to fill the position vacated by former Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske, who left his post in 2009 to serve as the drug czar in the Obama administration.
The other candidates were: Judy Bradshaw, Des Moines Chief of Police; Adam Burden II, Former Assistant Chief of Police of Miami; Rick Gregory, Chief Administrative Officer/Acting Public Safety Director of New Castle County in Delaware; Clark Kimerer, Seattle's Deputy Chief of Police; Anne Kirkpatrick, Spokane Chief of Police; Jim Pugel, Seattle's Assistant Chief of Police; John Romero, Chief of Police of Lawrence, Maryland; Lisa Womack, Former Chief of Police of Elgin, Illinois.
Bradshaw and Burden later asked to be withdrawn from consideration.
Diaz, a San Francisco native, began his career with the Seattle Police Department in 1980. In 2001, he became the force's deputy chief, and began overseeing operations.
According to SPD's website, Diaz "led the Administration Bureau and managed a budget of over $187 million for five years." The department employs approximately 1,250 sworn law enforcement officers and 500 civilian employees.
Braziel has been with the Sacramento Police Department since 1979, and became chief in December 2007. In a letter to his employees, he said he was approached about the Seattle position, which he saw as an opportunity he needed to explore.
According to a report by News10, an ABC News affiliate in Sacramento, Braziel helped update the department's technology, "and he continues police work, going out on patrol every eight weeks." The Sacramento Police Department has 701 sworn members.
Davis spent 19 years with the Oakland Police Department, and became the chief of East Palo Alto Police Department in May 2005.
He has also served as a police-reform expert for the U.S. Department of Justice, investigating police departments to detect unconstitutional practices.
Davis was recently a finalist in a search for a new police superintendent in New Orleans. However, he was not chosen for the post. His department has less than 100 employees.
Seattle's Interim Police Chief John Diaz, Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel and East Palo Alto (California) Police Chief Ron Davis are the three remaining candidates.
The 26-member Seattle Police Chief Search Committee submitted the three names to Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn on Tuesday.
"We had nine fabulous candidates, and they all had a lot to offer the community," said search committee member Kate Jonchas. "But when it came down to it and the committee looked, this is where we came to agreement on which three we thought were best for the mayor."
The committee says it did not discuss the specifics of the Seattle police stomping video in deciding on the finalists.
"I don't think the release of the video played a specific role. Right off the top, we were concerned about ethics. We were concerned about social justice," said committee member Charles Rolland.
The vote for Diaz, Braziel and Davis was not unanimous. Three people on the search team said they would have picked other contenders, but refused to elaborate.
"I have a slight disagreement as to who the three candidates should've been on that slate, but not a total disagreement. And I think the mayor's got a good slate," said Tina Bueche, a search committee member.
"I'm looking forward now to spending time with the finalists, allowing the public to get to know them, and choosing a chief for all of Seattle," McGinn said in a written statement. "I'll be looking for a chief who shares my values of public safety, fairness, and a commitment to racial and social justice."
The mayor will choose a new police chief from the three finalists, and the the mayor's pick will then have to be confirmed by the Seattle City Council.
The three finalists were among the 11 candidates the mayor named last month to fill the position vacated by former Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske, who left his post in 2009 to serve as the drug czar in the Obama administration.
The other candidates were: Judy Bradshaw, Des Moines Chief of Police; Adam Burden II, Former Assistant Chief of Police of Miami; Rick Gregory, Chief Administrative Officer/Acting Public Safety Director of New Castle County in Delaware; Clark Kimerer, Seattle's Deputy Chief of Police; Anne Kirkpatrick, Spokane Chief of Police; Jim Pugel, Seattle's Assistant Chief of Police; John Romero, Chief of Police of Lawrence, Maryland; Lisa Womack, Former Chief of Police of Elgin, Illinois.
Bradshaw and Burden later asked to be withdrawn from consideration.
Diaz, a San Francisco native, began his career with the Seattle Police Department in 1980. In 2001, he became the force's deputy chief, and began overseeing operations.
According to SPD's website, Diaz "led the Administration Bureau and managed a budget of over $187 million for five years." The department employs approximately 1,250 sworn law enforcement officers and 500 civilian employees.
Braziel has been with the Sacramento Police Department since 1979, and became chief in December 2007. In a letter to his employees, he said he was approached about the Seattle position, which he saw as an opportunity he needed to explore.
According to a report by News10, an ABC News affiliate in Sacramento, Braziel helped update the department's technology, "and he continues police work, going out on patrol every eight weeks." The Sacramento Police Department has 701 sworn members.
Davis spent 19 years with the Oakland Police Department, and became the chief of East Palo Alto Police Department in May 2005.
He has also served as a police-reform expert for the U.S. Department of Justice, investigating police departments to detect unconstitutional practices.
Davis was recently a finalist in a search for a new police superintendent in New Orleans. However, he was not chosen for the post. His department has less than 100 employees.