Seattle is ushering in a new chapter for its police department as Shon Barnes officially takes the helm as the city’s new police chief this Wednesday.
Barnes, who has served as interim chief since January, was unanimously confirmed by the Seattle City Council on July 1. He steps into the permanent role more than a year after former chief Adrian Diaz stepped down amid legal challenges and discrimination allegations.
Barnes comes to Seattle from Madison, Wisconsin, where he led a force of about 500 officers serving a city of 280,000. Seattle, by contrast, has nearly 800,000 residents and about 1,000 officers — though rebuilding staffing remains a top priority.
Chosen from a pool of 57 candidates, Barnes has made it clear he’s focused on hiring and retaining officers, strengthening community policing, and improving response times. So far this year, the department says it has added more than 90 recruits, and Barnes believes the SPD could return to full staffing by 2027.
“It starts with listening to our officers, supervisors, and understanding the data,” Barnes said. “As chief, it’s my job to make sure everyone has the tools, training, and technology they need to do their work — and to be held accountable.”
Barnes has set an ambitious goal of hiring 200 more officers by the end of 2025, pledging to find budget savings elsewhere and to push for competitive pay for SPD’s ranks.
The new chief takes charge as the department continues to rebuild from the significant officer departures that followed 2020 protests and more than a decade of federal oversight for excessive use of force. The city is also moving to end that oversight as crime trends show signs of improvement — with overall crime reportedly down about 9% this year.
