Licata's proposal for police chief falls flat

Seattle City Council President Nick Licata isn't getting much support for his proposal to make the police chief subject to reconfirmation by the council, even though a citizens' review accused Chief Gil Kerlikowske of interfering with an internal investigation.

Council member Tom Rasmussen said Wednesday he was willing to discuss Licata's suggestion, but "I would prefer to put this on the work program next year and to have it apply to the next police chief."

Kerlikowske now reports to Mayor Greg Nickels, who has expressed support for the chief.

Subjecting the chief to reconfirmation "would be seen as personal," Rasmussen said.

He has not yet read the report by the Office of Professional Accountability Review Board that says the chief meddled in an internal investigation of two officers' actions in a January drug arrest. The officers' account didn't match up with a surveillance video.

Council members said Wednesday they have received calls about the controversy. The Seattle and King County NAACP chapter plans to protest at City Hall next Thursday.

The environment is too highly charged for them to do anything now, council members said.

"I don't think we're going to come to a conclusion in this kind of environment," Councilmember Richard Conlin said. "Everyone is very confrontational right now."

Lisa Daugaard, deputy director for The Defender Association, sent out an e-mail Wednesday pushing friends to call council members to support Licata's proposal.

"If we cannot repudiate what happened here, we may as well give up on any pretense that we have police accountability in Seattle," she wrote.

Daugaard, whose firm represents several clients affected by the investigation, said she wrote the e-mail as a private citizen and sent it to about 50 people.

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com