Ladies and gentlemen it is my honor to introduce to you the next Chief of Police for the City of #Seattle pic.twitter.com/yrN4NoGWeo
— Ed Murray (@Mayor_Ed_Murray) May 19, 2014
Mayor Murray has just appeared at City Hall with his choice for Seattle Police Chief, Kathleen O’Toole, who will be the first female SPD chief if confirmed.
Speaking after Murray’s announcement, O’Toole said she has four themes:
*Public trust – “work tirelessly to restore” (it)
*Restore department pride – “if people make honest mistakes we’ll stand by them”
*Crime and quality of life – “I think we need to develop a plan for each neighborhood in this city,” including violence prevention
*Good business – “we’re running a large organization … we need to do it efficiently and effectively as possible”
In questions post-announcement, she said she hopes to visit the precincts often. “No one person can change this organization – it will be a collective, collaborative effort,” she added. And she called the job “the icing on the cake [for her career] not a stepping stone. … I love the fact that this city is an innovation city, second to none.”
As of this writing at 10:19 am, she’s still answering media questions (live stream here; we’ll add the video when it’s available later). You can read more about her in this recent Seattle Times (WSB partner) profile.
ADDED 4:45 PM: As promised, city-produced video of the announcement:
The mayor’s news release is here.
ADDED 5:57 PM: Read even more about the new chief, including the fact she doesn’t drink coffee, on SPD Blotter.
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