By Erica C. Barnett
This post has been updated to include the information that former chief Barnes is receiving a $700,000 payout to leave the city.
A press conference with Mayor Katie Wilson and new interim Police Chief Andre Sayles revolved, somewhat predictably, around questions about why Wilson didn’t talk to the press sooner both after Sunday’s mass shooting and yesterday, when she finally announced at 3:30 that she had asked for Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes’ resignation.
Sayles, Barnes’ replacement, was previously the police chief of Beloit, Wisconsin, a small town near the Illinois border. Barnes hired Sayles as his second deputy chief as part of a hiring spree that included several other brand-new executive positions. During the press conference, Sayles confirmed that his family, like Barnes’, lives in Illinois (not Wisconsin, as I previously reported); property records indicate they live in a town called Belvidere, just across the Wisconsin border.
“I do frequently go back to visit my family, probably about every eight weeks or so, but my wife spends most of her time out here with me” at a second home in East King County, Sayles said. “We’re looking to make this our home. It’s our area that we can retire from one day. But right now, we have kids that we need to get settled, and one day we’ll make this area our home.”
Wilson emphasized the need for the next permanent police chief to live here full-time and be part of the Seattle community. Unlike Harrell, who appointed Barnes with no public process, Wilson said she’ll appoint a search committee “that reflects the full diversity of Seattle to conduct “a meaningful engagement process.”
Reporters, including many TV reporters who spent much of yesterday fuming about the lack of information from the mayor’s office, also asked why the mayor was firing a chief who’s popular with so many current council members.
Five council members issued statements (and several did interviews) yesterday excoriating the mayor for firing Barnes. Four of the five (Rob Saka, Joy Hollingsworth, Maritza Rivera, Bob Kettle, and Debora Juarez) are centrists elected as a bloc in 2023 and most explicitly supported Harrell over Wilson last year. (Juarez, who described herself as an “elected leader” in an interview with KOMO, declined to run for reelection in 2023 and was appointed last year to replace Cathy Moore, a member of the Class of 2023 who quit less than a year and a half into her term).
Asked about the council’s opposition to her decision, Wilson said, “As the executive of the city, I do have a different window into our police department,” adding that she was confident that she made the right decision.
As I reported yesterday, one reason police took so long to release information about Sunday’s shooting was that the police chief, who spent much of his time out of town and whose family lives in Chicago, was at a conference in Dallas. Barnes reportedly wanted to be briefed on the shooting before he would allow SPD assistant chief Tyrone Davis to brief the press, who had gathered at the scene of the shooting and spent hours irritably standing around waiting for information on the shooting.
Wilson has not directly explained the reason for yesterday’s delay in releasing information. However, my own reporting indicates that Barnes did not agree to a settlement until late afternoon—a full day after rumors that he had been fired began swirling.
Barnes will receive a settlement of $700,000—about two years’ annual salary—as part of his agreement to step down. Wilson wouldn’t say how much he’ll receive; I’ve filed a records request for that information.
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I was able to confirm that Barnes gets to keep the entire $50,000 “lateral hiring bonus” he and several of his new staff received when Harrell hired him, a story I broke last August. The city approved the lateral hiring bonus during what Harrell and most of the city council claimed was a police hiring “crisis,” and it was designed explicitly to recruit “new police officers”—not top executives—from other police departments. Under the law, any officer who receives the bonus and doesn’t remain at the city for five years has to pay the bonus back on a pro-rated basis, so Barnes has received an exemption from that requirement.
Although the mayor declined to elaborate on why she gave Barnes the boot, it’s clear that his temperament and frequent travel out of town, both to his family home in Chicago and to conferences around the country, were factors in the decision. Barnes was also reportedly unpopular with many rank and file officers, and gave short shrift to the CARE Team, a group of social workers created to respond to 911 crisis calls that don’t require police. Barnes did not meet with CARE Department Chief Amy Barden for more than a year, and CARE has been hamstrung since last year by a police union contract that restricts what kind of calls they can respond to.
In searching for a new chief, Wilson said, she’ll be looking for a person “who can earn the respect of our police force while also leading needed changes to culture and protocol in a way that’s firm and fair. I will be looking for someone who can practice clear communication in stressful situations. I will be looking for someone who is consistently present in Seattle, keeping travel to an appropriate minimum, and who also ensures that when they are away, there is sufficient SPD leadership in town to guide our city from any emergency.” Wilson also name-checked the CARE Team, saying she wants a police chief “who understands the value of our alternative crisis response system, our CARE and fire departments, and our service providers.”
We discussed Barnes’ ouster, which was still unconfirmed at the time we recorded, on this week’s edition of Seattle Nice, and will be doing another episode over the weekend, so stay tuned.
Erica takes down the chief of police! Amazing.
Imagine a news report:
A police chief squared off with local reporters who asked him a simple question about his work attendance. So dire was the threat of the chief’s physical aggression, another staff member had to bodily step between the chief and the reporter, evidencing a belief that, but for physical intervention, an assault would have taken place. The chief was allowed to continue in his job.
Absurd. I’m looking forward to a new police chief who doesn’t telegraph violent threats to those curious about how they do their jobs. That’s how low Barnes’ has set the bar.
Documentation? Reference to what and when?
Chief’s ouster raises tensions between mayor, Black leaders
https://replica.seattletimes.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?artguid=b19ce948-9e88-450b-8de8-a8cbeb1cbc2f&appcode=SEATTL&eguid=4d36380d-f12c-4b87-9c13-407a17dbc343&pnum=2#
Chief’s ouster raises tensions between mayor, Black leaders
BARNES | Crime had fallen and he was making inroads with community, they say.
By Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks and Kai Uyehara Seattle Times staff reporters
The resignation of Seattle police Chief Shon Barnes on Thursday has rattled members of the city’s Black community, who say the move erodes confidence in Mayor Katie Wilson’s leadership and undermines progress made to improve the department and public safety.
On Thursday morning, amid rumors Wilson had asked Barnes to resign from his position, Black community leaders rallied at City Hall to defend the police chief. City officials have been heavily criticized for a lack of communication immediately following the Seattle Center shooting last Sunday that left three dead and at least four injured, and Barnes faced additional scrutiny from some for being out of town the day of the shooting.
It was a striking tableau — some of Seattle’s most prominent Black religious heads, community organizers and nonprofit executives quickly mobilizing to urge Wilson to reverse her decision and keep in place one of the few Black leaders in her administration. The mayor then met privately with some of the leaders before Barnes eventually resigned later the same day.
“How often have you seen the Black community stand up for a police officer?” asked Michelle Merriweather, president and CEO at Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle. “That should resonate.”
The long and fraught relationship between Black residents and law enforcement in this country — driven by disparate police stops, disproportionate use of force, festering systemic racism and deep mistrust — remains a persistent challenge for Seattle leaders to address. Allegations of racial bias and discrimination exist even within the police force.
More in the article. The police chief was addressing racism in the SPD and it wasn’t popular. Is pubcola so enamored with our mayor it cannot report the news 🆘
How can one believe this is a city’s wise use of the tax payers funds? This is an example of rigid Political in fighting vs negotiations and wise use of our resources. No wonder we need to raise more taxes?
Ex-Seattle police chief will receive over $590,000 for stepping down
By Savannah Butcher Seattle Times staff reporter
Former Seattle police Chief Shon Barnes will get over a half-million dollars from the city of Seattle after his resignation, according to a copy of the settlement agreement shared by the mayor’s office.
That includes a lump-sum payment equal to 18 months of his salary, which comes out to more than $560,000. Barnes, who made more than $370,000, was one of the highest-paid public officials in Seattle.
He will get a second lump sum equal to a year of COBRA coverage, about $30,000.
Additionally, Barnes doesn’t have to repay a $50,000 hiring bonus for lateral officers, aimed to help recruitment efforts during a staffing shortage. The settlement does not mention the requirement to pay the money back on a pro rata basis if an officer leaves before serving five years.
Barnes has been with the department for a year-and-a-half.
Barnes also doesn’t have to give back a $60,000 relocation benefit. Barnes lives in Seattle but had to defend himself this week against reports that he often left the city to see his family in Chicago.
As part of the settlement, Barnes agreed not to sue the city.
Barnes resigned on Thursday amid turmoil in the days since a shooting last weekend at Seattle Center that killed three people and injured four.
His resignation letter contained one sentence:
“I hereby submit my resignation from the position of Seattle Chief of Police, effective July 30, 2026.”
Savannah Butcher: sabutcher@seattletimes.com
Well Andy, was his and all those high paid cronies he brought into his operation a wise use of the tax payers funds? Is squirreling away the cost of many police officer salaries who have not been hired a wise use of the tax payers funds? Our taxes need to be raised because the city has a shambolic infrastructure and a certain segment of the population insists we spend more, always more, 40% of the discretionary budget alone isn’t enough, more spending on the police force in a city with falling crime rates. You want to stop increases in taxes? Then stop demanding a police state that is in an open war to consume 100% of the city budget. Otherwise shut up and pay your fucking taxes.
Freeze hiring. No mass surveillances
“This post has been updated to include the information that former chief Barnes is receiving a $700,000 payout to leave the city.”
To leave the city? Like, banished?