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…