List of candidates for next Seattle police chief down to 10

SEATTLE — The list of people hoping to be the Seattle Police Department's next chief has been trimmed.

Assistant Chief Nick Metz, a well-respected part of SPD's command staff, didn't make the cut.

According to the Seattle Times, a list of 20 candidates has been trimmed to 10, and Metz is not on the short list.

Metz was demoted to captain last year by then-Interim Chief Jim Pugel, but was reinstated as an assistant chief earlier this year.

Metz was the only member of the SPD who applied for the job and the only candidate from Washington, so Seattle's next chief will be from out of state.

Because of the recent scrutiny of the department and the agreement with the Department of Justice to curb excessive force, it may not be a surprise for some that the new chief won't be an internal candidate.

The search committee is keeping the names of the remaining 10 candidates confidential for now.

In early May, Mayor Ed Murray will be given the names of the search committee's top three candidates.

By mid-month, their names will be made public.

Murray plans to announce the new chief the week of May 19.

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