OPINION: What's ahead for Burien's new Police Chief?

This Opinion is shared with permission of The Burien Voice on Facebook. Originally posted on Sept 2, 2024.

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What's ahead for Burien's new Police Chief?

[First, I've got to say that there was something strange about the hiring process. In mid-August, Chief Boe left. A week or so later, the city manager was talking about forming a selection committee, and just a week after that, a new chief was announced. I must've gotten my timeline mixed up somehow, because never in its history has Burien moved that quickly on something.]

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Chief Calabrese's approach to his duties will take one of two forms: Either he'll be a real leader or he will be a functionary.  It might take some months for it to become apparent which path he has chosen, but those are the options.

If he takes the leadership path, his first big challenge will be to engage with his boss, King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall, on the question of enforcing Burien's camping ordinance. If he can't bring her around to supporting enforcement of this key ordinance, he'll have to start enforcing it anyway, by directing his officers to remove vagrant tents, regardless of the ramifications. He might end up without a job, but that's what leadership means: doing the right thing regardless of the costs to oneself.

This will be the test of Chief Calabrese's character. Will he ultimately stand up for the law? Or will he back down in the face of political opposition? If he backs down, he'll be just another bureaucrat in an already top-heavy Burien government: collecting a paycheck for services not rendered.

You might ask yourself why anyone would even want the chief job, knowing the risk of humiliation or firing it entails. I can think of a couple reasons. Maybe Mr. Calabrese is planning on being a short timer. He could keep his head down, serve for a year, and then move on, with his dignity more or less intact and with a nice new "recent employment" item to put at the top of his resume. If nothing else, he'll get a big pay boost, and he won't have to spend so much time patrolling. I'm sure there's nothing in his job description that says "Must confront big boss Cole-Tindall and sweep homeless camps by [date]." so if he chooses to, he can play it safe and still keep his job.

Or... he can be an honest cop and a real leader, with all the risks that entails.

We shall see.

King County Sheriff's Office Dow Constantine, King County Executive City of Burien Government

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