Microsoft Hires Ex-Seattle Police Chief Best for Security Role

(Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. has hired former Seattle police chief Carmen Best as director of global security risk operations.

Best will be in charge of the Redmond, Washington-based company’s “global virtual security operations team, intelligence, executive threat intel, special asset security, event security, travel security, security risk operations, security program management office,” she wrote on LinkedIn. She also serves on the artificial intelligence ethics board of policing technology company Axon Enterprise Inc. 

A 28-year veteran of the Seattle police force, Best became the first Black woman to serve as chief in 2018 but left in 2020 amid cuts to the department and controversy over its handling of protests following the murder of George Floyd. Additional concerns have been raised about missing text messages from Best’s phone covering key periods during the protests and her comments that she periodically deleted messages from the device.  

The hire was reported earlier by GeekWire. 

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