Police Chief candidates Meet-and-Greet

Three Police Chief finalists move forward to meet Council and public on 8/4/21
Posted on 07/29/2021
Edmonds Police Department

Watch the interviews LIVE https://zoom.us/j/95798484261

Three candidates for the position of Edmonds Police Chief have been selected to move forward to the final steps in the selection process: Dante Orlandi, Michelle Bennett, and Lawrence Hunter. 

On the morning of August 4th the Mayor will meet individually with the three finalists, after which at 12:00, 1:00 and 2:00 pm the City Council will hold publicly accessible interviews via Zoom with each candidate.  Later that day, at 5:00 pm, the public is invited to a meet-and-greet with the candidates in the Plaza Room above the Edmonds Library, located at 650 Main Street. 

After initial introductions and brief remarks from the finalists, members of the public will be free to mingle and chat with the candidates.  A brief online survey will be available for individuals to offer their comments afterwards.  Instructions on accessing the survey, including a postcard with a QR code, will be provided.

Finalists

Retired Major Dante Orlandi is a retired Pennsylvania State Police officer, having served in management and leadership roles over a 34-year career in the ninth-largest police department in the country.  His career included service in several increasingly responsible roles, including as the department’s Chief Administrator with responsibility for policy development, control, supervision, and program implementation within the organization, and accountable for the effective delivery of police services to the community. His service culminated in the position of Commander of an area comprising 36 police stations throughout Pennsylvania and Director of Records and Identification.  Orlandi is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Acting Edmonds Police Chief Michelle Bennett worked for the King County Sheriff’s Office from 1990 until 2021 in a series of increasingly responsible capacities, most notably serving as Chief of Police for the City of Maple Valley from 2004 to 2014 and the City of Sammamish from 2016 to 2019.  She was appointed as Edmonds Acting Police Chief in March of this year.  

 

Bennett received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law and Justice, a Master of Science degree in Psychology/Organizational Development and Behavior, and a Doctorate in Education, with an emphasis in curriculum and instruction.  She is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and of the FBI National Academy.  In addition, Ms. Bennett has taught criminal justice classes since 1998 in local Washington State colleges, as well as for the School of Police Staff and Command for Northwestern University. 

 

Retired Captain Lawrence Hunter served for 24 years in the Waterbury, Connecticut Police Department, starting out in the Patrol Division, with promotions to Sergeant, Lieutenant and ultimately to Captain in 2017.  His service included the department’s crisis intervention team, as well as commanding officer of the professional standards division.  He taught Defensive Tactics as well as Fair and Impartial Policing, Human Behavior and Civil Complaints. 

Hunter received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Phoenix and a Master’s degree in Forensic Psychology from Walden University. 

Recruitment Process

The City engaged the services of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) to conduct the search process. 

In order to tailor the search to the needs of Edmonds, the IACP conducted stakeholder interviews with members of the community and City staff.  They also offered a survey to the community for input on desirable attributes of the next Chief of Police.  Similarly, a survey was provided to Police Department staff.

A candidate profile was built based on the feedback received from these interviews and surveys.

The position was advertised nationally for seven weeks.  Candidates were reviewed by the IACP recruiting team.  Those deemed to best fit the candidate profile were invited to participate in an assessment center. 

Assessment centers are designed to evaluate dimensions necessary to be a successful Chief of Police, and the result is a comprehensive picture of each candidate’s capabilities and a quantitative evaluation on job-related dimensions.

Candidates completed an analysis presentation, structured interview, and written exercise.  Candidates were scored on the following areas:

  • Written communication
  • Oral communication
  • Interpersonal Insight
  • Problem Analysis
  • Judgement
  • Decisiveness
  • Planning & Organization
  • Delegation & Control

Finalists were then provided to the City, and each candidate had an interview with the Mayor.  Three finalists were then determined to move forward for Council interviews and presentation to the public, who will be given the opportunity to provide feedback on the candidates to the Mayor.

Next Steps

After the in-city day on August 4th, the Mayor will review all the input received from the public and City Councilmembers and identify his preferred candidate, at which time he will request that Human Resources initiate the required background process. The background investigation will be conducted by Public Safety Testing. Upon satisfactory completion of the background process, the Mayor will announce his appointment.  Subsequently the Mayor’s appointment will be presented to the City Council for their review and confirmation.