By Erica C. Barnett

Two days after PubliCola exclusively reported that  Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes had promoted controversial police lieutenant Michael Tietjen to captain and put him in charge of Capitol Hill’s East Precinct, Barnes announced internally that he was removing Tietjen and appointing a new commander for the precinct.

In an internal email to SPD command staff, Barnes blamed our article for “leading to a crisis of confidence among our LGBTQIA+ community members” and said his decision stemmed from “internal leaks” and “a lack of comprehensive input from those involved in employee assignments” for his decision to remove Tietjen.

Tietjen became infamous during the 2020 protests against police violence after he drove his unmarked SUV onto a sidewalk full of people and, when they scattered, referred to them as “cockroaches.” His punishment in that case was being reassigned to a different precinct. Tietjen was suspended without pay for another protest-related incident, in which he shoved a person who was trying to render aid to a demonstrator blinded by tear gas into a bus stop, slamming the man’s head into the structure.

That same summer, Tietjen was reprimanded for failing to act when he was in an SUV full of police who allegedly harassed a trans woman, asking her if she “had a dick under” her skirt. Tiejten has a child who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, from whom he is estranged.

In the email, Barnes blamed “internal leaks within our department” as well as PubliCola’s article for creating “unease” that forced his hand.

Among the immediate concerns is a recent article that has raised unease within the East Precinct, leading to a crisis of confidence among our LGBTQIA+ community members. This situation has prompted several community partners to withdraw their support. To address this, I will be reassigning our East Precinct Commander and appointing a new leader to help restore our community engagement efforts. This decision stems from a lack of comprehensive input from those involved in employee assignments and internal leaks within our department. My priority is to always restore trust within our community.

Far from resulting from “leaks,” Barnes’ decision reportedly received massive internal and external pushback after PubliCola reported it. Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office reportedly did not support Tietjen’s appointment and may have been blindsided by the decision.

Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

At a recent debate, Harrell, who is seeking a second term, called Barnes a “superstar” who could “work for any department in this country”.  “[He’s] a PhD, he’s a Marine, he’s smart, and he has a great command team,” Harrell said of Barnes.

After this article ran, SPD provided the following statement:

This summer, SPD proudly continued to build support and collaboration across the community of Seattle through extensive neighborhood meetings and district public safety forums.

After a recent standard promotion process where we promoted several highly qualified candidates, we received additional information and feedback that had not been previously surfaced. As Mayor Harrell has said, we are a learning organization, and the SPD executive team took this as an opportunity to improve the process. Moving forward, promotional decisions will feature a full review of the person’s history to ensure we place the right candidate in the right position. As a department, we are committed to bolstering relationships throughout Seattle and continuous improvement.

Joel Merkel, the co-chair of the Community Police Commission, told PubliCola after our story came out that promoting Tietjen to head up the East Precinct raised concerns about Chief Barnes’  “knowledge and insight into SPD’s history history and dynamics … particularly as we’re trying to change the culture of SPD.”

We’ve reached out to SPD for comment.

Barnes’ letter went on to say that if SPD leaders aren’t “aligned with” the department’s strategy toward “human trafficking along the Aurora Street corridor.”” they should “have an open conversation with me or consider their place within our department.”

PubliCola is supported entirely by readers like you.
CLICK BELOW to become a one-time or monthly contributor.

Support PubliCola

PubliCola reported yesterday on the promotion of Marc Garth Green, a former deputy chief who was demoted by former chief Carmen Best after he made insensitive comments about sex workers on Aurora Ave. N in 2019, saying that many of them “liked” being out there. Garth Green was defending a policy SPD had at the time of arresting sex workers, rather than focusing on buyers. Currently, SPD uses elaborate sting operations to catch men trying to pay for sex, a misdemeanor; these operations, which require special training and can involve as many as 20 officers, have long been a staple of SPD’s response to street sex work.

SPD’s “ongoing initiative to combat human trafficking along the Aurora Street corridor has faced internal resistance,” Barnes wrote. “I want to reiterate that both I and the mayor’s office fully support this program. Leadership sometimes involves taking risks, and I firmly believe that proactive measures are necessary, even in the face of opposition. Those who are not aligned with this mission are encouraged to have an open conversation with me or consider their place within our department.”

Barnes also noted that there has been “scrutiny regarding the sharing of public records with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” a reference to independent journalist Glen Stellmacher’s story alleging that SPD expedites public disclosure requests from ICE while using delay tactics like “grouping” to delay records requests from citizens and journalists. Under this policy, SPD takes multiple requests from the same requester or media outlet and “groups” them all into one single mega-request, responding to individual requests one at a time in full before moving on to the next one.

“While we are still clarifying the specifics of this situation, please prepare for potential media coverage that may highlight our actions without complete context,” Barnes wrote. “Our focus will be on ensuring transparency and working closely with the mayor’s office on a response, given the sensitivity surrounding immigration issues in our city.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.