(Added: WSB photo – Interim Chief Andre Sayles at West Seattle event last March)
3:41 PM: You’ve probably heard reports since last night – starting with this one on PubliCola – that Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes was probably out. Now it’s official. The news release from Mayor Katie Wilson‘s office just landed:
Today, Mayor Katie B. Wilson accepted a letter of resignation from Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes. Chief Barnes was appointed by Mayor Bruce Harrell in late 2024 and has made substantial contributions to public safety in Seattle.
“It has been an honor to serve the Seattle Police Department and this city,” said Chief Barnes. “The men and women of this department show up every single day with professionalism and dedication, and what they did in the aftermath of the Bite of Seattle tragedy reflects the very best of who they are. I am proud of them and I have deep faith in the future of this department and in the vision for community-based policing that is taking root here. Seattle is committed to building a department that is truly connected to the communities it serves, and I believe in where that work is headed. I hope this transition gives the city and this department the opportunity to return full focus to what matters most, addressing youth gun violence and preventing more tragedies. That work is too important, and Seattle deserves nothing less.”
“Chief Barnes has served this department and this city with dedication, and I am grateful for his service,” said Mayor Wilson. “The courage and professionalism that the officers of the Seattle Police Department showed deserves to be honored. I share Chief Barnes’ hope that we can return our focus to addressing youth gun violence and ensuring that every family can feel safe in their neighborhood and across the city.”
The mayor is appointing Deputy Chief Andre Sayles as Interim Chief of the Seattle Police Department. Deputy Chief Sayles brings more than 20 years of law enforcement experience, including serving as Chief of Police in Beloit, Wisconsin. In 2025, Sayles joined the Seattle Police Department as Deputy Chief of Administration and Investigations. Under his oversight, SPD’s Gun Violence Reduction Unit and homicide detectives have continued to close difficult cases, including the arrest of a suspect in the fatal shooting of two teenagers near Rainier Beach High School. The mayor believes he is the right Interim leader for SPD in this moment and to ensure continuity while we conduct a thorough search for a permanent chief.
“My vision for public safety in this city is grounded in transparency, trust, and genuine collaboration with the community,” said Mayor Wilson. “Keeping people safe requires trust, and trust requires that this department shows up in neighborhoods every day, builds relationships with residents, community organizations, and small businesses, and is accountable to the people it serves.”
“This situation is very difficult, and I admire the mayor for acting decisively to move forward and rebuild strong and engaged leadership inside the department so SPD members can build trust with the communities they serve,” said Sue Rahr, former SPD Interim Chief and retired Sheriff.
The mayor will hold a press conference tomorrow morning at 11:00am at City Hall to introduce Chief Sayles and provide information on the process for a permanent chief.
Before the mayor’s announcement, three City Councilmembers including District 1’s Rob Saka sent statements saying that if Barnes’ departure was true, they’d be disappointed (particularly by what they said was the mayor’s lack of communication with them).
4:32 PM: Added above is a photo we took of now-Interim Chief Sayles at SPD’s community-safety discussion at Southwest Teen Life Center in March; he opened that meeting (WSB coverage here), at which Barnes didn’t appear until later. As announced then and recently reiterated, the city plans another version of that meeting on August 12; we’ll be checking to see if that plan is still on given the chief change. Meanwhile, four more city councilmembers issued a joint statement saying they’re disappointed by Barnes’s ouster; you can read all the council statements here.
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