President Obama's pick for Drug Czar

Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske has accepted a job in the Obama administration, most likely overseeing the nation's drug policies, according to sources familiar with the chief's plans.

Kerlikowske, who has led the department for more than eight years, has told the department's top commanders he expects to leave to take a top federal position, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren't officially authorized to disclose the information.

One source said the Seattle office of the FBI had received a "special presidential inquiry" ordering a comprehensive background check on Kerlikowske in anticipation of his taking a position in the administration.

Kerlikowske, 59, whose law-enforcement career spans 36 years, declined to comment Tuesday.

Seattle FBI spokeswoman Robbie Burroughs said the agency doesn't discuss background checks.

Sources say Kerlikowske is expected to be named head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a Cabinet-level position otherwise known as the drug czar. The office, established in 1988, directs drug-control policy in the U.S. It's subject to Senate confirmation.

"Oh God bless us"

Kerlikowske's possible role in shaping drug policy for the Obama administration was applauded Tuesday by local medical-marijuana advocates.

In 2003, Kerlikowske opposed a city ballot measure, approved by voters, to make marijuana possession the lowest law-enforcement priority, saying it would create confusion. But in doing so, he noted that arresting people for possessing marijuana for personal use was already not a priority.

"Oh God bless us," said Joanna McKee, co-founder and director of Green Cross Patient Co-Op, a medical-marijuana patient-advocacy group. "What a blessing — the karma gods are smiling on the whole country, man."

McKee said Kerlikowske knows the difference between cracking down on the illegal abuse of drugs and allowing the responsible use of marijuana.

Douglas Hiatt, a Seattle attorney and advocate for medical-marijuana patients, said his first preference would be for a physician to oversee national drug policy.

But Kerlikowske would be a vast improvement over past drug czars, who have used the office to carry out the so-called "war on drugs," Hiatt said.

Kerlikowske is a "very reasonable guy" who would likely bring more liberal policies to the job, Hiatt said.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008731191_kerlikowske11m.html

I don't know anything about him, but he sounds like a potentially good choice.

Seattle people seem to think he's rational. That is a plus.

"Last year, he sat on a panel of researchers who found that mining private citizens' bank, telephone and other electronic records in counterterrorism investigations produced few results while posing serious risks to civil liberties.

He's also testified before Congress on the federal assault weapons ban and on investing in child welfare to prevent children from turning to crime."

more at:http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/399533_kerlikowske11.html

If we have to have one, Kerlikowske is a good choice.

http://horsesass.org/?p=12580

According to both local and White House sources, President Barack Obama will nominate Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy—a cabinet-level position commonly referred to as the Drug Czar—an appointment that could signal a substantive departure from our nation’s current marijuana-focused, interdiction-heavy drug policy, and a more realistic and progressive approach toward the issue of drug abuse in general.

Within the context of career law enforcement professionals, I think it safe to label Kerlikowske a “progressive.” During his ten-years at the helm of the Seattle Police Department and his current term as president of the Major Chiefs Association, Kerlikowske has been a vocal advocate for gun control and community policing, while serving as a prominent critic of the use of intrusive data mining techniques as a tool for combating domestic terrorism. But while he hasn’t been particularly outspoken on drug control policy, Kerlikowske’s relative silence is encouraging in itself, considering the progressive mores and statutes of the city whose laws he has enforced for the past decade.

While Kerlikowske opposed a 2003 citizens initiative making marijuana in Seattle a “low priority crime,” calling the measure vague and confusing (and… well… most initiatives are), he emphasized to local reporters at the time that marijuana possession and use already was a low priority, and in fact, Seattle’s already low marijuana prosecution rate has dropped even further since the measure’s passage, indicating a responsiveness to the will of the voters. Indeed, local drug reform advocates seem downright ecstatic about Kerlikowske’s appointment:

:-)

Some local views on Seattle's top cop

http://horsesass.org/?p=12580

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/02/11/czar_struck_obama_s_brillia