Saturday, November 21, 2009

ONGOING COVERAGE: POLICE CHIEF SEARCH

Big days finally here for chief hopefuls

City looking for feedback at three public forums

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Jody Lawrence-Turner
Staff writer
July 10, 2006

The next Spokane police chief is among us.

Spokane Deputy Chief Bruce Roberts already was here, but the other three finalists for the top cop position – Roger Peterson of Rochester, Minn.; Anne Kirkpatrick of Federal Way, Wash.; and Linda Eschenfelder Pierce of Seattle – arrived Sunday night.

The foursome will spend the next three days in a whirlwind of public and private meetings, interviews and a series of public forums. The mayor's office also plans to give the group tours of the city.

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City residents can question the candidates at forums planned tonight, Tuesday and Wednesday. A reception also is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. today before the first public forum where Spokane residents can shake hands with the four finalists.

"This is a big deal," Mayor Dennis Hession said in a news release. "To select the best person for this job, we need citizens to tell us what's important to them and which candidate they would recommend for the job and why."

An e-mail address dedicated to comments on the candidates has been set up at City Hall, said spokeswoman Marlene Feist.

Hession is expected to make a decision on who will be the new chief next week.

Taxpayers worried about whether the city is overdoing it can rest easy. Spokane is going the fiscally conservative route. The candidates are staying at the Oxford Suites, and their first meal in town will be a potluck organized by Police Department volunteers.

Other dining highlights will include boxed dinners and trips to the Olive Garden and Fiesta Mexicana.

The Police Department will provide the transportation for a tour of Spokane's north and south COPS shops, dispatch center and regional police training academy today.

Human Resources Director Mike Shea said the bottom line is that the city doesn't have a lot of money because of the budget situation. Plus, "if we overdid it, the community would be concerned about our spending."

• Peterson, a 25-year veteran of the Rochester, Minn., Police Department, is the only finalist from outside Washington.

The 47-year-old was recruited by Waldron & Co., the Seattle headhunters hired to assist Spokane in finding the next Spokane police chief.

Peterson, an avid hockey player in his off time, has a notable philosophy as a law enforcement officer: Apologize if you hurt somebody you didn't mean to hurt, no matter what led up to it.

• Roberts, a Spokane Police deputy chief, is the only internal candidate to be a finalist.

A Spokane-area native and 31-year veteran of the Spokane Police Department has a passion for the city he grew up in, and plans to make it priority to maintain the partnerships the police have in the community.

The 53-year-old was described by officials as methodical, detail-oriented and knowing the department inside and out.

• Kirkpatrick is perhaps the most diverse of the finalists. She started her police work in Tennessee. She ran a criminal justice program at a community college, and taught at a police academy and for the FBI.

The 46-year-old says a key element of her style as a boss are her "cardinal rules," which include no sex on duty, no lying and no insubordination. Colleagues, friends and Federal Way officials describe Kirkpatrick as a solid leader who combines her southern charm with her no-nonsense authority and directness.

For a person who originally planned on going into the hotel business, the Federal Way police chief has made her mark in law enforcement.

• Pierce has spent her 25-year career in law enforcement at the Seattle Police Department. During that time she's built a reputation as an abrupt, my-way-or-the-highway boss and a no-nonsense fixer.

Colleagues say she's not afraid to make unpopular decisions.

The 47-year-old has been in charge of units during war protests, riots, running gun battles, and out-of-control celebrations. Pierce currently heads up the 275-person criminal investigations bureau at the Seattle Police Department.

The New York-born woman who enjoys rowing, dog sledding and ski racing thinks Spokane would fit well with her affection for rural life and love of animals.