Three finalists named for Seattle police chief

The city of Seattle announced Friday the three finalists for its next chief of police.

The finalists are Ely Reyes, an assistant chief in Austin Texas; Eddie Frizell, a deputy chief of patrol in Minneapolis; and Cameron McClay, the former Pittsburgh police chief and the only finalist to be a permanent chief of a large city.

The other two semifinalists were Carmen Best, who has served as Seattle's interim police chief since Jan. 1 and an assistant chief in the Los Angeles Police Department.

Best released the following statement late Friday afternoon:

"There is no greater honor than to have served as the Chief of the Seattle Police Department, in a city and department that I love. I want to thank the Mayor for the opportunity and have agreed to her request that I continue as Interim Chief until a new Chief is confirmed. I wish the candidates the best – each of them should know how fortunate they will be to lead officers who have a commitment to public safety and reform. We will continue to work to meet our community's expectations, while leading the way as one of the best departments in the country, with Service, Pride and Dedication.
Thank you."

The mayor's office said Durkan will interview each finalist in the coming weeks. She will then nominate one of them for the position.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

More news from KIRO 7

• Woman says her Amazon device recorded private conversation, sent it out to random contact
• Identity of mystery man 'Kenny' revealed
• South Sound 5th-grader takes his own life, parents urged to talk to kids about suicide
• Scientists discover opioids in some Puget Sound mussels
• Police: Driver sees 'black object' in air on I-5, finds gun stuck in front of his car

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP

Cox Media Group