By Linda Forst / For The Herald
Kudos to The Herald and reporter Zachariah Bryan for a thorough and informative article concerning the Edmonds police chief debacle (“Regret, many questions in wake of Edmonds police chief pick, The Herald, Dec. 18). I am concerned about Edmonds Mayor Mike Nelson’s actions regarding selecting a police chief.
I am a retired police captain from Florida and am the director of the Criminal Justice Program at Shoreline Community College. I write a policing textbook, and consequently have done research on best police practices and — coupled with membership in national and state chief’s associations — have networked with police executives throughout the state and country. Nelson, in my opinion, violated “Police Hiring 101” in so many ways.
Among my observations and concerns:
Edmonds Police Department is one of the most highly respected departments in the area. Edmonds has benefited from the late Chief David Stern and recently retired Chief Al Compaan, who devoted 40-plus years to the City of Edmonds and served as chief since 2007. Chief Compaan left the Edmonds department in great shape with a diverse, respected department and had an outstanding professional prepared to take the helm with minimal disruption. I have students who are now Edmonds officers and I have always been quick to recommend the Edmonds department due to its great reputation and stable leadership. Assistant Chief Jim Lawless is a highly respected, well-educated, police professional with intimate knowledge of the city, the officers and the residents.
The mayor’s “rush” to speed up the process is a red flag by itself. As half of the council noted; why the rush? The word “transparency” is too weak in this situation. This was outright deception. If the mayor is so naïve as to not recognize all the red flags, then he shouldn’t be leading a city. If he did realize there were “red flags” and wanted to get the action through before they came to light, that’s deception and he is not being honest with his citizens and — again — should not be leading a city. The mayor comes across as arrogant and narcissistic. He thinks he knows everything and is incapable of asking for advice or guidance in an area in which he is not knowledgeable. Had he consulted with respected practitioners, he would have saved himself and the city this embarrassment.
The most important factor in having a professional police department is the hiring process which includes the background investigation. Professional law enforcement leaders are well aware that hiring the wrong person will cause problems, liability and possibly worse down the road. Dishonesty and domestic violence issues disqualify police officer applicants immediately and they will be out of the process. Background investigations are crucially important and an area where departments should not compromise. Nelson neglected this critical responsibility.
I concur with the councilmembers who propose foregoing the national search and make Lawless the chief permanently. It will save the significant cost and time of a search as well as the low morale that may result in the department, perhaps causing increased turnover. Also consider the ability to attract a quality candidate from outside the agency with anywhere near the qualifications of Lawless given the negative politics.
At the end of the article Mayor Nelson is quoted as follows “I want our department to be an example for other police departments in Washington.” Sadly, he has accomplished that; the City of Edmonds has shown local departments how not to hire a chief.
Linda Forst is a retired police captain and holds a doctorate of education in criminal justice. She lives in Mukilteo.
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