Spokane, Wa., Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick will apply for Seattle’s police-chief job, which has never been held by a woman, reports the Seattle Times. The name of Kirkpatrick, 50, has been swirling for months as a potential candidate for the job, which became open when Chief Gil Kerlikowske left to become President Obama’s drug czar.
Interim Seattle Police Chief John Diaz announced he would apply in March, when former Mayor Greg Nickels appointed him to the temporary post. A police-chief search committee formed by Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn began its work in January. It hired a search firm to help look for a new chief and launched a series of public meetings on Wednesday to let citizens weigh in about what they want in a chief. Three finalists will be chosen and then presented to the City Council’s Public Safety and Education Committee in early June. McGinn will make his choice sometime after that, which must be confirmed by the full city council.