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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sirens & Gavels

Condon announces pick for police ombudsman search committee

Mayor David Condon has selected City Attorney Nancy Isserlis to serve on the search committee for a new police ombudsman.

His spokesman, Brian Coddington, said the mayor selected Isserlis because of her involvement in the hiring of departing ombudsman Tim Burns and her work as the administrative liaison to the newly-seated police ombudsman commission.

“She brings some institutional knowledge and experience to the group,” he said.

Isserlis will join police ombudsman commissioner Adrian Dominguez, who was the city council's pick for the search committee. The council voted on Dec. 15 to allocate their seat to a member of the ombudsman commission.

The search committee will identify three finalists to replace departing police ombudsman Tim Burns, who ends his five-year tenure in Spokane on Friday. The five civilian members of the police ombudsman commission select the new ombudsman from those finalists.

The Spokane Police Guild and Spokane Police Lieutenants and Captains Association will each select appoint a member to the search committee, with the fifth member to be selected by the other four.

Spokane Police Lt. Dave McCabe, the president of the Lieutenants and Captains Association, said earlier this week that his members had nominated three people for their seat on the committee, at least one of whom was not a police officer. He anticipated a vote on their selection by the middle of next week.

John Gately, the president of the Spokane Police Guild, said the guild board would be meeting next week to select their representative as well.

The search committee must meet by Jan. 17, which is 30 days after Burns formally resigned.

 



Rachel Alexander
Rachel Alexander came to the Spokesman-Review in 2014 after working for the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. She covers social services, health and science for the City Desk and writes a monthly data-focused column, Know Spokane.

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