With staffing up and homicides down, Shon Barnes confirmed as Seattle police chief

(The Center Square) – Shon Barnes was officially appointed chief of the Seattle Police Department amid success in officer recruitment and a decrease in homicides. The Seattle City Council on Tuesday unanimously confirmed Barnes, who has served as interim chief since Jan. 31.

Since then, his top priorities have included recruitment and retention, crime prevention, employee safety and wellness, and mending the strained relationship between the police department and the public.

So far, Barnes has seen some positive statistics related to hiring officers, a top priority of the Seattle City Council and Mayor Bruce Harrell.

During a Public Safety Committee on June 24, Barnes said that as of that date, SPD has hired 87 new officers so far in 2025. Last year, the department saw a net gain of just one officer. So far this year, net staffing increases stand at 47 officers.

As for violent crimes, homicides across the city are down 37% and robberies declined 16% through June 24.

However, the strained relationship still lingers. Recently, SPD officers arrested 23 counter-protesters at Cal Anderson Park during a rally that focused on the "#dontmesswithourkids" movement. Residents voiced frustration with officers’ crowd control efforts against the counter-protesters.

Following his official appointment, Barnes addressed the city council, saying that SPD has a plan to show how the department will work as a collaborative organization to achieve the type of public safety that the community wants. Barnes said that plan will be made public in the near future.

“This is where I want to end my career, this is where I want to be; I want to be a part of that story that will be written about how the City of Seattle and the Seattle Police Department became a national model for policing,” Barnes told the city council.

Prior to his current role, Barnes had served as the chief of police in Madison, Wis., from 2021 through 2024.

Barnes’ resume also includes being recognized as a National Institute of Justice Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science Scholar, and he is a member of the National Policing Institute’s Council on Policing Reforms and Race.

Public safety in Madison improved under Barnes. In 2024, the city saw a 67% decrease in homicides, a 40% decrease in auto thefts, a 36% decrease in burglaries, and a 19% decrease in reports of shots fired.