1. If you’re wondering who’s in charge at the Seattle Police Department during the historically busy holiday season, including New Year’s Eve, it isn’t Police Chief Shon Barnes, who’s been taking a two-week vacation since December 20. Barnes’ family lives in Chicago, and he has not bought a home in Seattle, continuing a practice from his days as police chief in Madison, Wisconsin, when his family remained in Chicago.
During Barnes’ absence, the role of Acting Chief of Police will rotate between Deputy Chief Yvonne Underwood, Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis, and Deputy Chief Andre Sayles. Underwood and Davis were at SPD prior to Barnes’ arrival; Sayles was previously police chief in Beloit, Wisconsin, a small town outside Madison with a population of 36,000.
Police chiefs are generally expected to be on call for incidents that happen outside regular working hours, including on weekends, evenings, and holidays, and typically show up in person at events that involve a major police response, which isn’t possible when the chief is out of town.
SPD’s communications office did not respond to a list of questions about Barnes’ lengthy absence. Earlier this year, when PubliCola asked why Barnes was spending almost every weekend out of town, a spokesperson told us that crime was down and that Barnes was “tirelessly working to protect the Seattle community.”
Historically, Seattle’s police chiefs have lived in or near Seattle full-time, as have other high-ranking SPD officials, making Barnes’ administration an outlier. At least three of Barnes’ top staffers reportedly rent apartments in Seattle while their families live in their permanent homes out of state.
During Barnes’ time out of the office, he will earn just under $12,500.
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2. SPD’s communications office also declined to respond to questions about two recent operations—one involving alleged “human trafficking” at a strip club on Aurora, and one about the “Dear John” letters SPD sends to men whose cars they photograph during sting operations targeting menwho pay for sex. The department announced both anti-prostitution operations with blog posts claiming success at fighting sexual exploitation, the legal term the city uses to describe any exchange of money for sex, but said they could not answer any questions about either announcement because “This [sic] is an open investigation.”
Another spokesperson declined to provide copies of the three police reports related to their strip club sting, telling us to file a records request. (In the past, SPD put police reports online, but they have made these public records increasingly inaccessible). PubliCola does not file records requests with SPD because they do not meaningfully respond to them. In 2025, SPD provided a single one-page document in response to one of our 10 unfulfilled requests, which go back to 2023, giving us a new “placeholder date” of December 31, 2026 for the rest of our requests.
A spokesperson for the King County Prosecutor’s Office said the city has not referred any cases from the strip club sting for charging or a first appearance, despite the seriousness of SPD’s allegations—human trafficking is a Class A felony.
As for the “Dear John” notices, which are designed to embarrass men who pay for sex and potentially sprak explosive conflicts with their partners,, SPD did eventually provide the sample letter we requested. It says the women and girls who work on Aurora are “almost always the victims of criminal trafficking” and that prostitution “is not a victimless crime.”
The letters include photos taken by police conducting the stings and note that any vehicle used when buying sex is subject to impoundment, with fees that “often exceed $2,000” to get a vehicle back.
SPD’s legal counsel reportedly argued against sending the letters on the grounds that people have a right to privacy in their own homes, opening the department up to potential lawsuits.
I think it is perfectly fine for the Police Chief to take a vacation. In fact, given Seattle’s record with police chief tenure, it is sensible.
Does the establishment newspaper get its public records requests answered on a more timely basis? If so, please let the local taxpayers know about that. If not, I am surprised it puts up with it but then it *is* the establishment newspaper. How aggressively does it pursue this kind of thing?
If by establishment newspaper you mean the Seattle Times, the answer is no. They have filed several complaints against SPD and a lawsuit earlier this year: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-times-sues-seattle-police-alleging-public-records-violations/
The chief didn’t show up when a young man was executed at 8pm on Cap Hill during art walk, and Brucie didn’t show up or address it, he went to a photo op for the Mainers instead
CM Hollingsworth literally told me the next day she was talking to an under age girl that was sold into sex work into testifying against a pimp and couldn’t be at two places at once (addressing the gang execution that day).
What the fuck is wrong with this city. It was that moment when I realized I needed to move to a safer community. No wonder the chief of police doesn’t want his family in the 206, Brucie turned it into a crime ridden hell hole. Cap hill is an open area fenty market with two gang execution last year and no police presence
Cap Hill isn’t the Cap Hill of pre covid. The chief and the SPD should be here full time. Or they shouldn’t be employed as police 👮
Jesus fucking Christ, Brucie put his “I ignore gun violence and love sportsball” mariners photoshoot in the 2025 city year end report
https://harrell.seattle.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/2025-EOY-Report.pdf
The photo in that pdf with Brucie dressed up in Mariners gear is literally less than 24 hours after a gang executed a young man who was trying to get his friend out of sex work. This was at 8pm. Literally families where walking on that street – I have video, I was across the street when it happened.
No police helicopter sent, no police chief on the scene and no press conference from the mayor.
Meanwhile a week earlier the SPD sent multiple officers and a police helicopter over a graffiti artist in cap hill.
Brucies a 🤡 except it’s not funny, he literally ignored gun violence while paying attention to sports ball
CM Hollingsworth told me the next day she refused to call out Brucie publicly, same phone call she told me she was trying to get a child to testify against a pimp.
Fire all the leaders in the city hired by Bruce and replace them with people who actually care.
What is the name of the person who was was killed? I don’t think it’s unusual for a Mayor to have lots of important things to do and may not attend every violent crime.
CM Hollingsworth is trying her best but the SPD needs to have their leaders live in Seattle. And we should be paying them bonuses to live in higher crime areas. Why wasn’t this part of the new negotiations?
Sorry for going off, learning the SPD Chief doesn’t actually live in the 206 has me outraged as a citizen who lives in the 206.
Although like the username says I’ve see enough death in the my neighborhood to be at peace living here so we’re leaving in 2026.
Please be kind and listen and respect each other, this is truly a beautiful neighborhood filled with kind people who are being failed by city leaders
Cap Hill wanted to defund the police. They wanted CHOP and Katie Wilson.
JaydenJamison
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/lummi-family-demands-justice-18-year-old-killed-capitol-hill-shooting/281-19c724ef-4158-4aa6-b067-4db198e57b62
Also NO, CAP HILL does not want the violence. If you actually talk to people living in the neighborhood you’ll find most are left leaning but those who lived through chop/chaz have truama and it was all of the fucking PNW that came to chop/chaz
Once of Bruce’s biggest failures (his first being the gun violence and car violence) is not investing into cap hill after chop Chaz. He had a huge opportunity to do so in a way that would promote both community and black excellence. What did he actually do? Let the neighborhood turn into an open air fenty market and allowed drunks and partners and junkies and meth heads to run around doing whatever they wanted
Dan Strauss also called for Defunding SPD at one time.
Having the mayor show up every time there is a murder in the city seems a bit much. How is that going to do anything useful? Now the police chief is another story, they should be showing up, doing ride alongs etc…
What a joke the Police Chief’s schedule is. WTF does a part-timer do ina city of 800,000? It’s quite a bit more involved than the job in Madison,WI. And WTF is SPD afraid of that the citizens they’re supposed to protect and serve can’t know about? Yes indeed, making us all feel safer. As I said, what a joke on us.