Mayor Mike McGinn's Police Chief Search Committee tonight selected Police Chiefs Rick Braziel of Sacramento, Ronald Davis of East Palo Alto, Calif., and John Diaz of Seattle as finalists to succeed Gil Kerlikowske as Seattle Police Chief.

Diaz is Seattle's interim police chief.

As stipulated by City Charter, Mayor McGinn will choose from among the committee's three finalists, with his selection subject to City Council confirmation. The mayor expects to interview the candidates in early June and to make his selection sometime in June.

Mayor McGinn thanked the 26-member committee, co-chaired by Kate Joncas and Charles Rolland, for its work.

"I'm grateful for the hard work and commitment shown by Search Committee members during this important process," McGinn said. "I'm looking forward now to spending time with the finalists, allowing the public to get to know them, and choosing a chief for all of Seattle. I'll be looking for a chief who shares my values of public safety, fairness, and a commitment to racial and social justice."

Tonight's vote by the Search Committee followed a full day interviewing nine semifinalists on Saturday, and is the culmination of the group's four months of work.

The finalists are tentatively scheduled to appear before the City Council's Public Safety and Education Committee at 9:30 a.m. on June 2.

Background material on the three finalists:

Rick Braziel
Ronald Davis
John Diaz

Kerlikowske, the former Seattle police chief, was appointed by President Obama last year to be the nation's drug czar after eight years as Seattle police chief.

For more information on the Search Committee and the process of choosing Seattle's next police chief, see the committee's website, http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/spdChiefSearch/.