Three candidates vie for Mukilteo police chief

Published 6:40 pm Monday, December 20, 2010

MUKILTEO — The search for a new top cop in Mukilteo has been narrowed down to three names.

The final candidates are Bill Cooper, who lives in Mukilteo and was police chief on Bainbridge Island; Jeff Miller, a chief with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office; and Rex Caldwell, a police captain in Kirkland and a commander at the state law enforcement academy.

“I liked the experience that the three had,” Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine said Friday. “Any of the three would probably make a very good chief, and now it’s just a matter of a fit of personality and temperament.’’

Marine and City Administrator Joe Hannan interviewed the three Wednesday before an open house. They now are listening to observations from police officers and others who attended the open house.

A retirement ceremony is planned for current Chief Mike Murphy at the Jan. 3 City Council meeting, Marine said. He hopes to present the council with a final candidate then or soon thereafter.

The position pays $109,395, plus benefits.