Seattle mayor says he’ll name new police chief next month

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray says the search for a new police chief has reached a “pivotal point” and he plans to name his pick the week of May 19.

Murray announced Friday the recruiting firm hired by the city has finished vetting candidates. The mayor’s 12-member search committee is expected to winnow the list of roughly 20 names in half, then begin screening and interviewing applicants.

The committee, co-chaired by former Seattle mayor Ron Sims and community activist Pramila Jayapal, will recommend its top picks to Murray, who will then interview candidates the week of May 12. He’ll make his choice and submit it to the City Council for confirmation the following week.

Murray reiterated his commitment to reform the police department as mandated by a 2012 consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice.

“We must reform the culture of our police department, and reform starts at the top,” Murray said in a statement. “I am confident that within the pool of job applicants, we will find a bold, proven leader with experience in effective crime prevention, public accountability and building community trust who can come to Seattle and drive transformational change throughout the police department.”

The city has been without a permanent chief since John Diaz retired in April 2013. Harry Bailey has served as Interim Chief since January.