FOLLOWUP: Mayor Harrell chooses committee for police-chief search, launches community survey

Back in March, Mayor Bruce Harrell said he would appoint a committee and launch a website and community survey as part of the process of finding a permanent Seattle Police Chief. Today he made good on those promises. Here’s the list of 14 committee members, with at least three West Seattleites:

SPD Chief of Police Search Committee

Council President Debora Juarez, Seattle City Council
Councilmember Lisa Herbold*, Seattle City Council
Lieutenant Scott Bachler, Seattle Police Management Association
Prachi Dave, Policy and Advocacy Director, Public Defender Association; Commissioner, Community Police Commission
Gabe Galanda, Managing Lawyer, Galanda Broadman, PLLC
Erin Goodman, Executive Director, SODO Business Improvement Area
Esther Lucero, Chief Executive Officer, Seattle Indian Health Board
Jim Pugel, former SPD Chief of Police
Robert Saka*, Attorney, Microsoft Corporation
Rachel Smith, President & CEO, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
Mary Ellen Stone, Chief Executive Officer, King County Sexual Assault Resource Center
Reverend Harriett Walden, Founder, Mothers for Police Accountability; Co-Chair, Community Police Commission
Natalie Walton-Anderson*, Criminal Division Chief, Seattle City Attorney’s Office
Bishop Reggie Witherspoon, Mount Calvary Christian Center

Today’s announcement also says the firm Public Sector Search & Consulting is working on “an initial list of candidates” – applications are being accepted through July 5th, via Gary Peterson, Gary@PublicSectorSearch.com. The committee then will pick five finalists who move on to take the mandatory competitive examination, and committee members will come up with the written questions for it.

As for the promised website with updates and information about the search process, see it here. For the 10-question community survey “to give feedback on what issues matter most to them in the search,” go here. (The announcement notes that “the website and survey are available in English, Amharic, Chinese (traditional), Korean, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.” Seattle’s been without a permanent police chief since August of 2020.

Guy Olson May 18, 2022 (9:27 pm)

I remember when he (Bruce) was trying to get votes at the Admiral Safeway, he was wearing sweatpants. 🤢

Ron M May 18, 2022 (10:27 pm)

I go to Safeway in sweatpants sometimes as well, is there something wrong with that?
- Rick May 19, 2022 (8:11 am)
  
  As long as you’re wearing your good sweatpants.
J May 19, 2022 (6:43 am)

Sweatpants can be fashionable. You must not stay up on the trends, which is fine, but just letting you know.
Auntie May 19, 2022 (10:17 am)

Better sweatpants than yogapants! ;-P
- Warrior III May 19, 2022 (12:48 pm)
  
  Hey now,
  
  Better yoga pants than no pants! ;)-

Take the survey May 18, 2022 (10:39 pm)

Everyone should take the Seattle police survey at the link above. Make sure the Seattle police understand the real impact of the ongoing increase to crime within the the community vs. the political rhetoric that clouds reality. Think about how your own habits have changed over the past few years with more crime and less police officers. More and more of our community members have been impacted by crime (backed by data). It’s time for a change.

K May 18, 2022 (10:54 pm)

Thank you so much! I let them know they need to be more responsible with the money they have and stop wasting it on stupid things. More fiscal responsibility, and better accountability for officers doing a terrible job!
Jethro Marx May 19, 2022 (8:18 am)

I thought about it but crime, or the current perception of crime, has not changed my or my family members’ habits at all in the last few years. How would you expect habits to change? For all the idle talk by internet commenters here you would think leaving one’s home is akin to heading out into a warzone. That’s fear and delusion, not reality. Data shows more and more community members impacted by crime just like more and more people are impacted by birth and death each year.
- New Salt May 19, 2022 (8:58 am)
  
  Delusion is not understanding that certain types of crime have skyrocketed relative to population change. There have already been almost 2x as many shootings in Seattle this year compared to 2021, 2020, 2019, etc. And it’s only May. Nice that those shootings haven’t affected you, but don’t use anecdotal evidence to bury your head in sand and ignore data.
  - Jethro Marx May 20, 2022 (9:49 pm)
    
    I’m not sure which of my anecdotes you took as evidence, but if you like anecdotes, my kids and I were in the Covid testing site parking lot when some shooting took place a few months ago. We felt affected, but not such that we were going to stop riding bikes on neighborhood errands. Because that is an extreme oddity, not the normal happening there.
- Antonio May 19, 2022 (10:00 am)
  
  I stopped taking the bus in 2019 and got a car to manage my work commutes. After enough nights sitting on 3rd Ave waiting for the bus I realized I’d had enough.If you think crime rates are increasing proportionally to birth rates you’re cherry picking statistics to reinforce your own opinion.
  - Jethro Marx May 19, 2022 (10:33 am)
    
    Thanks for sharing; sounds reasonable that you wanted to change some habits. As to the other thing, it’s not about proportionality, it’s the phrasing- saying “More and more of our community members are impacted by crime (backed by data).” is hovering between meaningless and misleading. It is a one-way statistic- like births and deaths, the number can only count upwards. If the proportion of the population who are victims of crime has increased year-over-year, that is something completely different. And that very well may be the case. But that’s not the claim, and this alleged data is nowhere to be seen. We can all feel free to feel however we want about crime rates (not backed by data), but that will not likely mean much to others.
Lauren May 19, 2022 (10:10 am)

It is time for change. I took the survey. Let them know that my top priority is holding cops accountable who shoot/kill citizens, and someone who is willing to think outside the box in terms of policing.
- Wseattlite May 19, 2022 (11:07 pm)
  
  Yeah, because soooooo many SPD cops are killing people compared to the criminals killing people. Give me a break.
- New Salt May 20, 2022 (7:39 am)
  
  Accountability comes from outside sources, not the chief of police (which is what this search is about). It’s not like the people constantly harping on the police believe any of the internal investigations that give an outcome they don’t like anyway, regardless of their legitimacy. Hence the new statewide Office of Independent Investigations.

anonyme May 19, 2022 (5:48 am)

I hope the comments on the survey are taken into consideration, as the questions themselves are generic and meaningless.

Lauren May 19, 2022 (10:07 am)

Yes. This is a ridiculous “air cover” survey. “Which crimes are worst in your neighborhood?” It is statistically proven that people are HORRIBLE at self-reporting these types of things. The police literally have data about crime rates in neighborhoods.
WS Res May 19, 2022 (1:50 pm)

Ugh, those questions. “Which of these are your priorities for the new chief?” [lists a bunch of things that have nothing to do with my priorities, then forces me to choose at least one] What is a “third public safety agency” anyway? Is that the non-lethal/care-informed responders we keep saying we want?

yuccayuma May 19, 2022 (8:40 am)

A meeting for the meeting. Just pick someone!

T Rex May 19, 2022 (9:09 am)

Lisa Herbold is on the committee? Why? Useless. Tell her former Chief Best says hello.

WSB May 19, 2022 (10:03 am)

Because she chairs the Public safety Committee.
- Lagartija Nick May 19, 2022 (10:30 am)
  
  As chair of the public safety committee did/does she have the power to ask/force a police chief to resign?
  - WSB May 19, 2022 (11:29 am)
    
    Anyone – you, me, a councilmember, whomever – can “ask” anyone else to resign, but the chief reports to the executive branch (mayor). If you recall (follow our coverage link in the last line above), Chief Best’s announcement came as the council was pursuing SPD cuts including her salary. – TR
    - Lagartija Nick May 19, 2022 (11:44 am)
      
      Thanks! So, if I’m reading this right, Herbold had/has no actual authority to oust a police chief, that authority resides with the mayor (which is what I thought). I really appreciate the clarification, too bad it will fall on a lot of deaf ears
- Um, No! May 19, 2022 (11:00 am)
  
  Which is laughable.

Sorry, comment time is over.