Prediction: Expect Carmen Best to be named Seattle police chief

KIRO Radio’s Hanna Scott, who this week interviewed all three of the Seattle Police Department’s candidates for new police chief, has a hunch that the title will go to interim Chief Carmen Best.

“The sense around town is that Carmen Best is essentially a shoe-in for this,” Scott told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson. “She doesn’t say that, but I think there’s a general belief that she will get this job.”

This wasn’t always the case, however. Back in May, the city left Best off of its list of top three candidates for the position. The decision drew ire from community groups, including the Seattle Police Guild, that believed Best — who has been serving as interim chief since the beginning of this year and has been with the department for 26 years — was far more qualified than three out-of-state candidates.

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Scott said that according to the city, Carmen Best didn’t make the cut because of her score in the “competitive exam process.”

However, last Saturday, Mayor Jenny Durkan’s office announced that Best was back in the running following candidate Cameron McLay’s decision to work with the city on police reform in a role other than police chief.

Best’s competition includes Austin, TX Assistant Police Chief Ely Reyes and Minneapolis Police Department Inspector Eddie Frizell. Scott said that the two are well-qualified, noting that Reyes is “all about accountability” and Frizell “has taken some strong action as far as drug crimes on the street.”

Those in opposition to Best, Scott said, are looking to change the status quo in SPD leadership at a time when reform is at the top of the agenda.

“A lot of people say because we’re dealing with these reforms, and because she’s been with the department for so long, maybe we need some fresh blood,” Scott said.

However, as Scott pointed out, Best “was handpicked by former Chief Kathleen O’Toole to help that reform process.”

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With Seattle’s homelessness and drug crises frequently making the news, Best says that SPD is not going to “criminalize people for being homeless,” but rather for committing crimes. Scott, however, believes that this means focusing on violent crimes rather than the open drug use that can be seen around the streets of Seattle.

“There are places in neighborhoods in Seattle where there are people openly shooting up … My sense as a whole from Seattle police at this moment is that this is not something they’re going to go out and arrest people for,” Scott said.

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