Four candidates, including former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best and Tukwila Interim Police Chief Eric Lund, have been invited to interview for Tukwila’s police chief position, according to the city.
Residents can meet the candidates Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to Noon at Tukwila City Hall (map below).
Other candidates include:
- Rodolfo Alcaraz, police chief in Selma, California,
- Sam Costello, police chief in Gunnison, Colorado
The city said interviews will take place over three days and involve Tukwila Police Department members, city staff, elected officials and community representatives.
Lund, a Tukwila native and Foster High School graduate, joined the department as a patrol officer in 1996. He became deputy chief in 2021 and has served as interim chief since May 2026, according to the city.
His experience includes patrol, narcotics investigations, field and driver training, traffic enforcement, professional standards, patrol command and executive leadership. He earned a bachelor’s degree in law and justice from Central Washington University in 1995 and graduated from Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command in 2024.
Best joined the Seattle Police Department in 1992, rose through its ranks and became chief in 2018. She led the department during the civil unrest of 2020, according to the city’s candidate biography.
Since then, Best has served as director of global security risk operations at Microsoft, worked as a law enforcement analyst and written a book. She currently serves on the police monitoring team for Chicago.
Best holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from Northeastern University and a bachelor’s degree in general studies from Western Illinois University. Her training includes the FBI National Academy, FBI National Executive Institute and Police Executive Leadership Institute.
Alcaraz, also known as Rudy, has 30 years of police experience, including nine years as a chief, according to the city. He has led the Selma Police Department for the past four years and previously served as chief in Fowler, California.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Union Institute and University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
Costello has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience. He spent 27 years with the Olympia Police Department, rising to deputy chief before becoming police chief in Gunnison, according to the city.
He holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Chapman University and a bachelor’s degree in writing from The Evergreen State College. He graduated from the FBI National Academy and the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police, and holds executive certifications from law enforcement organizations in Washington and Colorado.
