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Former Seattle police chief confirmed as Drug Czar
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Yesterday my good friend and our former chief of police, Gil Kerlikowske was confirmed by the United States Senate, to be the next head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, this position is also commonly known as "drug czar."
Kerlikowske's official last day as police chief was last Friday. Seattle deputy Chief John Diaz has been named the city's interim chief. Although there will be a national search for our next police chief, Interim Chief Diaz told me and others last night at a meeting, he will apply and hopes to get the position.
The Senate approved Kerlikowske's nomination 91-1. There were several Senators that were not voting, but the only Senator voting, who did not say 'yea' to Kerlikowske was Republican senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, one of only two doctors in the United States Senate.
Kerlikowske, a 36-year law enforcement veteran, has said he will take a balanced, science-based approach to the job of director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Kerlikowske has pledged to develop a strategy to address drug-related violence along the Mexican border. While he and other officials would work to reduce the international drug supply, the biggest contribution the United States can make is to reduce demand for illicit drugs, Kerlikowske said.
Kerlikowske's confirmation comes at a crucial time. In addition to the problems posed by Mexican drug cartels, the war in Afghanistan is complicated by the illegal drug trade.
President Barack Obama's choice of Kerlikowske and an increased emphasis on alternative drug courts signal a sharp departure from Bush-administration policies on cutting the foreign supply and curbing U.S. drug use.
Kerlikowske, who was appointed Seattle chief of police in 2000 by then-Mayor Paul Schell, had worked the previous two years as deputy director of the Justice Department's community-oriented policing division during the Clinton administration.
Kerlikowske began his career as a street cop in St. Petersburg, Fla., in 1972 and rose to become chief of several departments, including Seattle.
