Seattle Police Chief O'Toole to Speak at Jan. 6 SLU Community Council Meeting

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SOUTH LAKE UNION – The South Lake Union community will welcome Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole for a neighborhood conversation at the South Lake Union Community Council's Tuesday, Jan. 6 meeting beginning at 4 p.m. at the Museum of History and Industry. A one-time Boston police commissioner and former inspector general for Ireland's national police force, Chief O'Toole will share her vision for public safety in the City of Seattle and the importance of community policing in Seattle neighborhoods as a part of the meeting hosted jointly by the South Lake Union Community Council and Chamber of Commerce.

Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole (left), speaks after being introduced by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray as his nominee to be Seattle's new Chief of Police, May 19, 2014 in Seattle. (Photo: AP/Ted S. Warren)

"The South Lake Union community is especially honored to welcome Chief O'Toole to our neighborhood," said South Lake Union Community Council president Mike McQuaid.

Chief O'Toole was appointed in May 2014 by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and confirmed in late June by the Seattle City Council.

She has already set ambitious markers for herself and the some 1,300 SPD officers including a pledge to craft a policing plan "for every neighborhood in the city" within 30 to 60 days of her confirmation.

Speaking at a South End community forum this spring, Chief O'Toole shared her vision and expectations for working together with neighborhoods throughout the City.

"I intend to spend a lot of time in the neighborhoods," she said in a June 23 SeattlePI.com story. "I will expect my commanders to do the same."

Since her confirmation, McQuaid, along with other South Lake Union neighborhood leaders have responded enthusiastically to the Seattle Police Department's outreach.

Together with West Precinct community police team's Sgt. Paul Gracy and Officer Sam Cook, neighborhood leaders have already been working to strengthen the flourishing neighborhood's bonds with community police team officers.

Activities have included hosted public safety meetings in South Lake Union and nearby Cascade along with the inclusion of a regular public safety discussion topic at community council meetings.

"Chief O'Toole is a genuine, neighborhood-minded leader who understands our communities from the bottom up," McQuaid said. "Her vision for community engagement and trust building is exciting for not just South Lake Union but the entire City of Seattle.

Chief O'Toole is a career police officer and lawyer who has earned an international reputation for her principled leadership and reform strategies.

In 2012, she completed a six-year term as Chief Inspector of the Gardia Síochána Inspectorate, an oversight body responsible for bringing reform, best practice and accountability to the 17,000-member Irish national police service.

Prior to serving in Ireland, Chief O'Toole rose through the ranks of local and state policing in the United States. During her police career, she was assigned to numerous patrol, investigative, undercover, supervisory and management positions.

She served as Superintendent (Chief) of the Metropolitan District Commission Police and Lieutenant Colonel overseeing Special Operations in the Massachusetts State Police. She was later appointed Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety (1994) and Boston Police Commissioner (2004).

Chief O'Toole is among a number of City of Seattle officials to join the South Lake Union Community Council for community discussions this year. Among them are Seattle City Councilmembers Sally Bagshaw and Tom Rasmussen, Washington State Representatives Brady Walkinshaw (D-43rd) and Gael Tarleton (D-36th) while King County Councilmember Larry Phillips recently participated in the South Lake Union and Cascade neighborhood walking tour.

To learn more about the Seattle Police Department and Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole, please visit the Seattle Police Department website.

WHAT:       South Lake Union Community Council (January Meeting) WHEN:      Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015 – 4 p.m. WHERE:    Museum of History and Indudstry (860 Terry Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 at Lake Union Park) HOSTS:      SLU Community Counciland SLU Chamber of Commerce

About The South Lake Union Community Council

The recognized South Lake Union neighborhood leadership organization by the City of Seattle, the South Lake Union Community Council is the steward of the SLU neighborhood plan and collaboratively with community stakeholders authored theSLU Urban Design Framework and the SLU / Uptown Mobility Plan. The South Lake Union Community Council meets monthly (4 – 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month) at the Museum of History and Industry in South Lake Union. To learn more visit SLUCommunityCouncil.org.