Seattle asked to postpone police chief hearings over ‘significant’ concerns

Seattle’s Community Police Commission is asking the Seattle City Council to postpone any confirmation hearings for the next police chief.

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The request is over “significant community concerns that a highly-qualified local candidate, and only woman candidate, was eliminated from the final pool,” the commission tweeted Thursday afternoon.

Though the commission doesn’t name the person they are referring to outright, it is referring to Interim Police Chief Carmen Best. Best did not make the list of finalists for the job after filling in for former Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole since she stepped down at the end of 2017.

Many believed Best would at least make the final cut. She was on the list of five but was not among the final three.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said at the time she knew people would be disappointed, adding she knew that Best is a “team player.”

Police Guild President Kevin Stuckey said union members were disappointed and even “angered” at the decision.

Best has been with the Seattle Police Department for 26 years. She was second in command when O’Toole was in charge.

The three finalists for the police chief jobs include Eddie Frizell, Cameron McLay, and Ely Reyes. Read more about them here.

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