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Graham Hughes/RollingNews.ie

She's been chosen to lead the review of gardaí in Ireland but who is Kathleen O'Toole?

O’Toole is the current Chief of Police in Seattle, and has experience in Irish policing.

TODAY, IT WAS announced that veteran police officer Kathleen O’Toole will lead the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland.

Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald received government agreement to appoint the current Chief of the Seattle Police Department to the role, and made the announcement today.

It is understood that O’Toole is finishing up her position in Seattle before taking up the role as head of the Garda root-and-branch review.

The review will involve a comprehensive examination of all aspects of policing, including all functions currently carried out by An Garda Síochana.

In the Dáil this afternoon, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that O’Toole “is an outstanding person of great experience”. He added that she has a “deep understanding of the situation which applies here in Ireland”.

So, what exactly makes her “uniquely qualified” for the review of An Garda Síochana? Here’s what you need to know about Kathleen O’Toole.

Irish connections

O’Toole comes from Massachusetts, and served as a police officer in Boston in the 1980s.

She later rose to become the first female police commissioner of Boston.

She became a member of the Patten Commission, set up to reform policing in Northern Ireland, which led to the eventual formation of the PSNI.

O’Toole held the position of Chief Inspector of the Garda Inspectorate between 2006 and 2012.

Since 2014, she has held the role of Chief of Police in Seattle.

One event that is believed to have been raised in cabinet today, relates to a court case brought against O’Toole last year by senior officers in the Seattle force.

Last July, a jury found that O’Toole had retaliated against two officers who had been transferred out of a district amid a dispute over the handling of overtime pay, reports the Seattle Times.

The court had heard that she had complained that lucrative overtime pay had been improperly steered to four black officers.

The city’s mayor, however, backed O’Toole, saying that he supported her decisions and acknowledged that she had taken the role of police chief in the midst of racial tensions among the force.

Doubts have also been raised concerning O’Toole’s presence on the interview panel which appointed Nóirín O’Sullivan as garda commissioner in 2014.

In October of that year, the Irish Independent reported that O’Toole was one of four members of that interview panel.

It is not known if the government is footing the full bill for O’Toole’s relocation costs. A government source said O’Toole is the “ideal candidate” and is “eminently qualified” for the role.

The terms of reference for this review will be finalised by the Tánaiste shortly, and be brought before cabinet for approval.

With reporting from Christina Finn.

Read: International policing expert to carry out ‘root-and-branch’ review of An Garda Síochána

Read: ‘Admin error’ that led to McCabe allegations was not reported as HSE data protection breach

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42 Comments
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    Mute Dave.
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    May 9th 2017, 8:09 PM

    Please for the love of god, not another bejaysis review of the Gardaí, we have reports coming out of our arses about the Garda and how to improve them, one literally just released. Have any of these reports ever been acted on? No. Then why are we wasting more money on more reports that no one does anything with. Unreal.

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    Mute John O'Driscoll
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    May 9th 2017, 9:09 PM

    Another insider job. No disrespect to a doubtless fine officer but her previous direct and personal connexions here, and the affable nature of many of them no doubt, (given the longstanding tradition of friendship between Irish and US police forces, sure the one more or less begat the other) should cause her to recuse herself from this role.

    Why can we not have an equally distinguished official with no prior connexions as she to this corrupted country? Perhaps someone from the Canadian Police? They too have strong links albeit digging with the other foot. On balance, a better more likely objective prospect anyway,

    Who must do the hard things? S/he who can. And is not in some way or other possibly bound by feeling of collegiality and empathy arising from former acquaintance.

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    Mute Geoff Bateman
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    May 9th 2017, 10:04 PM

    @Dave.: ah sure you know we love reviews and commisions

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    Mute Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh
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    May 9th 2017, 11:50 PM

    @Dave.: and by a woman that was on the committee that selected Noreen O sulivan, Jezes wept

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    Mute Living The Laws
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    May 10th 2017, 12:54 AM

    @Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh: are you serious Daithi? surely they couldn’t be that arrogant.

    frightening.

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    Mute Morizy
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    May 9th 2017, 8:11 PM

    Sounds good to me sure she recommended O’sullivan what could possibly go wrong I feel perfectly safe.

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    Mute jane
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    May 9th 2017, 8:08 PM

    They really can’t get anything right.

    96
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    Mute Paul Mc
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    May 9th 2017, 8:07 PM

    If she’s good enough for Enda Kenny what could possibly go wrong?

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    Mute ger
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    May 9th 2017, 8:11 PM

    She left the position of Garda Inspectorate saying she was a toothless dragon. She’s written 3/4 reports with recommendations. They weren’t listened to first time around.
    I wonder does she think they will be this time?
    I wonder will they be listened to this time?

    If she goes as full on as needed the government at the time it’s delivered won’t be happy cause it will cost a fortune.

    60
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    Mute Ger Kelleher
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    May 9th 2017, 8:24 PM

    She obviously heard about the lucrative Irish pensions, no wonder she’s re locating to Ireland lol

    53
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    Mute robert lester
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    May 9th 2017, 8:09 PM

    Is she the right toole for the job.

    48
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    Mute Jarlath Murphy
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    May 9th 2017, 8:37 PM

    There is a corrupt rotten corpulence deep in the body politic of the so called Republic oozing a sickness into every organ and polluting everything that it comes in contact with! It has several strains, greed, avarice, cronyism, nepotism, jobs for the boyos and “what’s in it for me?” The patient is now terminal as a result of the ravages of this disease, it will take more than yet another report to collect dust on the shelf to fix what’s wrong! But not to fear it will get the symbiotic parasites feeding off the corpse through another shift! God Save Ireland, because the current lot are already measuring up the corpse!

    76
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    Mute Billy Larkin
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    May 9th 2017, 8:56 PM

    @Jarlath Murphy: lol! nail on the head Jarlath.

    29
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    Mute John O'Driscoll
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    May 9th 2017, 11:37 PM

    @Jarlath Murphy: it’s all of a piece Jarlath. All that was sung all that was said in Ireland is a Lie, bred from the contagion of the throng. We get what we elect. And by now there’s little alternative if any we’ve been electing it so long it’s the only flavour in town. And that’s shite, whatever the colour of their shirts and ties. Slave laundries, covered-up raped childher, wee girls dying in grottos with their babes along and unsuccoured, Shannon War and Torture Port; abuse abuse abuse and all the blind eyes turned to all the cowardice inhumanity and rapine it’d make you boke.

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    Mute Anne Marie Devlin
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    May 9th 2017, 9:33 PM

    Surely her strong links with the gardai would make her eminently unsuitable for the job! Was it completely impossible to find a candidate without a scandal attached for the post?

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    Mute Nick Allen
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    May 9th 2017, 8:06 PM

    Sounds like she has the experience for the job alright. Bit of a daft comment re relocation expenses. Of course the star should pay if she is moving county to take up the job. If we want her we have to pay

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    Mute rowan hill
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    May 9th 2017, 8:16 PM

    Christ that photo ,she looks like she means business

    29
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    Mute Nick Allen
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    May 9th 2017, 8:20 PM

    @rowan hill: good point. She won’t take any BS

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    Mute John O'Sullivan
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    May 9th 2017, 8:28 PM

    Does the Garda Inspectorate still exist or is it being replaced by this latest governement puppet organisation

    34
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    Mute pat seery
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    May 9th 2017, 8:36 PM

    All this review will do is to keep the Minister in position until Enda goes as l will be shocked if the new Leader give her back her job There must up to a dozen inquiries going on
    The next one will be on the Minister
    The most expensive Minister we ever had

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    Mute Karl
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    May 9th 2017, 10:33 PM

    People commenting should read background information first.

    She was the first inspector but left as her reviews were ignored. She knows the problems but now she has the power to force change whether management like it or not.

    The nun with the gun, fought for ags to be a genuine 21st century police force much to rank and files delight but was ignored. Now let’s see the minister and commissioner ignore her

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    Mute Gerry Carroll
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    May 9th 2017, 11:13 PM

    @Karl: I’d love to think she has the power to enforce her recommendations but really? In Ireland? All she’ll get to do is publish yet another report with many of the same findings and recommendations from other previous reports only to find them ignored once again.

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    Mute vNblxOSQ
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    May 10th 2017, 1:02 AM

    @Karl: yes mrs O’Toole. Take a seat over there. He’ll be with you when he’s ready now.

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    Mute Karl
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    May 13th 2017, 8:34 PM

    @Gerry Carroll: this time I think so. Its news, it will be reported and not hidden.

    Be honest, how many inspectorate reports did you read our even know about? Not a dig at you, just proving a point.

    McDowell set up the inspectorate to be toothless. It was never meant to achieve any real change. It was purely to shut up the gra because McDowell really did believe the gardai were fully resourced and by giving them the inspector it became ‘independent’.

    What really happened was she came in, saw a force mired in dysfunction, mismanagement, lacking basic resources, undermanned and having no defined role (its been mentioned multiple times by the inspectorate that gardai deal with too much non policing functions) and lacking logical operations (why does uniform response gardai also investigate crimes, prepare files for the DPP and prosecute their own cases in court? Isn’t that for detective’s and solicitors??? Why are they sent out in the middle of a summer day in a high visibility bag?)

    Or maybe, just maybe for the first in a long time I believe change might actually come

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    Mute Stephen Maher
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    May 9th 2017, 10:48 PM

    This is just dispicable.
    She was on the interview panel for
    o sullivan,
    She formerly worked for the Guards.
    Enda has a crush on her.

    Cronyism alive and well.

    17
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    Mute Eugene Comaskey
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    May 9th 2017, 10:06 PM

    I see that Wallace is questioning this already, what a tool he is.

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    Mute joe o hare
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    May 9th 2017, 9:45 PM

    The police is no job for a woman.

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    Mute Nick Allen
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    May 9th 2017, 8:24 PM

    Where’s Veronica. How come a woman got probably the most important job to do with crime, corruption and incompetence in this country considering your view on the Irish male syke. Or does this not fit with your anti male hyperbole you choose to comment on

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    Mute @mdmak33
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    May 9th 2017, 10:32 PM

    She didn’t last long in the last job.why.

    7
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    Mute John003
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    May 9th 2017, 9:00 PM

    Well at least the 3 women at the top are doing a much better job than the men ever did…..Minister for Justice; Garda commissioner and Attorney
    General…..

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    Mute Kieran Dillon
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    May 9th 2017, 10:47 PM

    They’ve only gone and chosen Dylan Moran in drag to lead the review! A controversial choice….

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    Mute Paul Bennison
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    May 10th 2017, 4:32 AM

    This lady was one of four who recommended and nominated noreen O’Sullivan for the position she is in now, so how can their be honesty and integrity in yet another Useless wast of time investigation. Hell I know four fully qualified 40 year old police veterans with very good honest proven track records running investigations across the globe, who could run a full and honest investigation in to the running of the Garda Force. Problem is they have no Irish ties and they aren’t Irish Oh yeah this government wouldn’t like what they findings would be.

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    Mute Karl
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    May 13th 2017, 8:38 PM

    @Paul Bennison: that’s grossly unfair. The ones you know never made a bad recommendation?

    What evidence do you have that someone who has been the chief of police in 2 separate forces hasn’t got years of honest service leading large investigations?

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    Mute Perry2016
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    May 9th 2017, 10:26 PM

    FIX

    5
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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    May 10th 2017, 12:43 AM

    Why can’t we do anything without getting ones from the EU or US to tell us what to do?

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    Mute Karl
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    May 13th 2017, 8:39 PM

    @Alois Irlmaier: so who would you ask to review the police?

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    Mute Trevor Connolly
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    May 9th 2017, 9:21 PM

    She’ll sort ‘em out I’d say , look at the head on her

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    Mute John O'Driscoll
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    May 9th 2017, 11:39 PM

    @Trevor Connolly: yeah ‘magine if she was telling you to get your sums right in school. And the bata still in play under the Law. You’d be quare shitein yourself. If she is the only choice in town I hope she takes a leaf from that book.

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    Mute Blackwalker617
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    May 10th 2017, 8:38 AM

    The only way to improve the gardai is Pay them what there worth. Wouldn’t it just be amazing if the nurses and gardai say fcuk it were off. Wouldn’t Ireland be in a state of shock and chaos. And there’s nothing our government can do. Pay theses people what their worth or

    2
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    Mute Con Murphy
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    May 10th 2017, 11:11 AM

    Great gig, whatever she writes in the report she gets paid, expenses and of course the all important pension, and the government can still ignore the report and add it to all the other reports gathering dust on some basement shelf. Government will still get paid, expenses and the all important pension. Just love official Ireland.

    1
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    Mute Con Murphy
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    May 10th 2017, 11:00 AM

    O’Toole by name, Tool by nature!

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