During Monday night’s (Aug. 19, 2024) council meeting, the City of Burien outlined its process for selecting its next Police Chief, and unlike in 2018 when a public meeting was held with candidates, this time the city will utilize a series of interview panels.
In 2018, Ted Boe was chosen after a public meeting with four other finalists, allowing for community input and more direct public engagement in the decision-making process.
Ultimately, Boe was selected by then-City Manager Brian Wilson.
Beginning next week, a series of stakeholder panels featuring City leadership staff, council members, community leaders and members of organizations serving the Burien community will conduct interviews with candidates for the position.
The City said it will follow the process outlined within the Interlocal Agreement for police services with King County, and as agreed to by the King County Sheriff’s Office.
As we previously reported, Boe resigned on June 11, 2024, after a disagreement with Burien City Manager Adolfo Bailon, largely revolving around the enforcement and constitutionality of Ordinance 832. The ordinance, which criminalizes public camping, sparked tensions between Boe, Bailon and King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall, leading to a breakdown in trust.
Despite these issues, Boe’s leadership received praise from the Burien City Council, the community, and even Bailon in November, 2023. He was sworn in this week as the new Chief for the Des Moines Police Department.
“Helping drive this selection process is a diverse group of stakeholders representing a wide array of identities and experiences,” said Burien City Manager Adolfo Bailon. “We’re excited to have a majority of people on each interview panel be a person of color, which makes this process representative of the richness in cultural diversity that exists within Burien. This process continues the work to achieve the City’s strategic plan goals in advancing racial equity, especially around such a critically important position.”
The final decision on Burien PD’s next Chief will again rest solely with the City Manager, as it is a contract position, with no forum for wide public input as there was in 2018. Bailon will evaluate feedback from the panels to make the final selection.
Burien Police Department Captain Tom Calabrese will continue to serve as interim police chief until the selection process is complete.
I am deeply concerned about the City of Burien’s decision to exclude public input in the selection of our next Police Chief. In 2018, the community was actively involved in this critical decision through public meetings. This time, however, the process is limited to select interview panels, excluding broader community engagement.
Given the previous tensions between former Chief Boe and City Manager Adolfo Bailon, it is worrisome that the final decision rests solely with the City Manager. Without public input, there’s a risk of bias, which could lead to a decision that doesn’t reflect the best interests of our community.
The role of Police Chief significantly impacts all of us, and the public’s voice should be included in this process. I urge the City Council and City Manager to reconsider and allow for greater transparency and community involvement.
At no time have I ever heard, or seen in print anything from Ted Boe why he decided to leave the KC Sheriff Dept. Anyone who says it’s entirely based on his disagreement with the City Manager needs to provide that proof for that statement to be believed, otherwise it’s pure speculation.
How does one apply or volunteer to be on the panel to select the new police chief.
Whomever is chosen will have some big shoes to fill. Chief Boe did an outstanding job in Burien. His resignation is Buriens loss and Des Moines gain. Good luck Chief Boe! Thank you and you are loved.