SEATTLE, Wash. — Seattle police Chief Kathleen O'Toole has announced the names of four new assistant chiefs after telling the current assistant chiefs they will not retain their positions and will face demotions. She has also added the new position of chief information officer.
The command staff overhaul is O'Toole's most significant personnel move since she became chief in June.
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She announced her new leadership team at a Wednesday morning news conference after first making an announcment online: Lesley Cordner, Steve Wilske, Robert Merner, Perry Tarrant, and Chief Information Officer Greg Russell.
Cordner joined SPD in 1989, and has served in the domestic violence unit, north precinct operations, community policing and other assignments.
She emigrated from Ireland to the greater Seattle area and previously worked for Boeing and Seattle City Light before joining the department. She said she was excited and honored to be selected.
Wilske, currently the commander of the southwest precinct, has been with SPD for more than 28 years in a variety of roles, including homicide and crime scene and use of force investigation.
Merner is from the Boston Police Department’s investigative bureau, with experience in homicide, gangs, narcotics and forensics.
Tarrant served as the coordinator of Yakima’s gang free initiative and served for 34 years as an officer and commander in the Tucson Police Department. He is also the vice president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.
Russell, who has been named the department's chief information officer, will lead the next phases of a number of tech-focused projects, such as the body-worn camera pilot and use of data to predict and prevent crime.
Russell worked at Amazon as a vice president overseeing the company’s corporate applications, enterprise data warehouse and IT.
When KIRO 7 reporter Amy Clancy asked O’Toole what she saw as the three biggest problems that the department needs to address, O’Toole said she saw them more as opportunities.
She said she wanted to get in compliance with the consent decree, lower crimes against persons and better control crime in downtown Seattle.
KIRO 7 reporter Graham Johnson asked the same question about the biggest problems for the Seattle Police Department, of people around Seattle.
Shannon Schneider brought up three police problems that are commonly heard around the city.
"First, there isn't a lot of trust in our police force right now," she said. "The downtown core has a major problem that seems to be getting worse and not better."
And Schneider said where she lives on Capitol Hill, "there's a general sense that if you call the police they're not going to come for a long time."
In Ranier Beach, Tyrone Crosby cited youth violence. "I hope with this leadership team that they really focus on the youth," he said.
Janice Blanchard of Madison Valley cited "trust and justice."
"The biggest problem with the police, hmm, nobody trusts them," Blanchard said.
Laura Cook of Rainier Beach believes Seattle Police target people because of their race.
"If they do stop a person of color, or whatever, it's like the whole police force is out here, seven cars for one person," Cook said.
Meanwhile, O'Toole made the top brass re-apply and re-interview for their jobs earlier this year, which they did. The have been removed and face demotions.
Currently, Robin Clark oversees detectives and investigations; Paul McDonagh is in charge of Special Operations, which includes homeland security; Tag Gleason handles federally mandated reforms and Mike Washburn oversees the Field Support Bureau.
The search for assistant chiefs drew 72 applications, including 22 from inside the department.
Former Assistant Chief Nick Metz, who oversaw patrol operations, recently left to become the police chief in Aurora, Colorado. Deputy Chief Carmen Best will remain in that position.
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