By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Last Tuesday, the Edmonds City Council confirmed Assistant Police Chief Loi Dawkins as the city’s next police chief. Nominated by Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen, Dawkins will officially assume the role on August 1. Her appointment signals a new chapter of leadership for the Edmonds Police Department, emphasizing community engagement and internal stability.
Dawkins, who joined Edmonds Police in 2022, currently oversees the department’s administrative services division. She brings 25 years of law enforcement experience, most of it with the King County Sheriff’s Office, where she held a variety of leadership roles. She succeeds Assistant Chief Rod Sniffen, who had served as interim chief since the retirement of Chief Michelle Bennett in February.
A Tacoma native, Dawkins graduated from Foss High School before attending the University of Washington, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. More than a decade later, she returned to the UW’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance to earn a master’s in public administration. She also holds a master’s in public safety from the University of Virginia and completed the prestigious FBI National Academy’s leadership training program.
Reflecting on her academic journey, Dawkins spoke about the personal importance of continuing her education.
“I grew up in Tacoma. I attended the University of Washington for undergrad, majoring in political science, and then I couldn’t get enough of school,” Dawkins said. “But it took some time. It was more like 14 years later I returned and obtained a master’s in public administration through the Evans School.”
Her law enforcement career includes a wide range of assignments. Dawkins served with the Muckleshoot Tribal Police, the Metro Transit Police, and in the King County Sheriff’s Office’s Shoreline and Woodinville precincts. She worked as a sergeant in the court protection unit at the King County Courthouse and later in internal affairs as a sergeant and investigator.
In 2016, Dawkins became a sergeant overseeing recruitment, with a focus on increasing diversity in the department.
“One of my projects was to identify a strategic problem in the department and come up with some solutions,” Dawkins said. “I looked around and realized that, out of 750 officers, I could count 21 African American officers. That’s a problem.”
Under her leadership, the department launched targeted recruiting efforts within Washington and beyond.
“We went to places we didn’t traditionally go to and recruited out of state. Long story short, applications from women and minorities increased by 39%. We more than doubled the number of African American officers. That was something I was really proud of.”
Dawkins credits her brother-in-law—a King County deputy—with inspiring her to consider a career in law enforcement.
“He also grew up in Tacoma and saw the same things I saw,” Dawkins recalled. “When I was working at Echo Glen, he told me, ‘Hey, you should seriously look into this profession.’ I wasn’t interested for my own reasons, but he invited me on a ride-along.”
That experience changed her perspective.
“I got to see firsthand how somebody like me could do this work and still be who they are,” Dawkins said. “I always kind of thought that as police you had to act a certain way. After that first ride, I wanted to go again. I think I went a third time, and I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to take the test.’ If I could be myself in this work, I was all for it.”
Now confirmed, Dawkins joins a distinguished group of Black women in regional law enforcement leadership, including King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall, former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best, and retired King County Chief of Criminal Investigations Fabienne “Fae” Brooks.
Dawkins spoke candidly about her priorities for the Edmonds Police Department. She stressed the need to build stability within the department and reinforce relationships with the broader community.
“Internally, it’s about bringing stability and supporting our staff so they can show up every day and do the best job for the city,” Dawkins said. “Externally, my priorities are reinforcing the relationships we’ve built with community members and re-establishing connections with groups that may feel disconnected from us. Community engagement is huge to me.”
She pointed to a recent city survey that identified public safety as the community’s top concern.
“Ensuring that the city is safe—and that everyone feels safe—is critical,” she said. “And making sure our services continue to be equitable.”
Another priority for Dawkins is maintaining Edmonds’ participation in the 30×30 Initiative—a national effort to ensure that women make up 30% of police departments by 2030. Edmonds has already met that goal.
“30×30 is a national effort, and we hit that goal at least a year ago,” Dawkins said. “At least 30% of our department is comprised of women. And when you look at census information, we’re even more diverse than the community itself, which is pretty amazing. We have a great group of highly capable officers.”
Dawkins’ commitment to diversity and community engagement reflects her broader vision for policing in Edmonds—one that balances internal leadership with external accountability and connection.
Since the announcement of her nomination, Dawkins said she has been overwhelmed by support from both Edmonds residents and people across the region.
“I’m just appreciative,” Dawkins said. “I’m appreciative of the support that’s been offered to me since the announcement. I think I’d like to add that because I’ve had a number of community members from the region—not just from the city—reach out to offer their support and congratulations, and I am absolutely just honored.”
