The mayor’s office announced Barnes’ nomination Friday. In the announcement, Harrell highlighted Madison’s post-pandemic reduction in crime, which occurred under Barnes’ tenure, and the chief’s approach to community/police relations.
Barnes has served as Madison’s chief since 2021. His 24-year career began in Greensboro, North Carolina, as a patrol officer. He later served as deputy chief in Salisbury, North Carolina, then as a director of Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
Barnes was cast into the national spotlight earlier in December leading the response to a school shooting at Madison’s Abundant Life Christian School.
“Chief Barnes will bring proven experience and a forward-looking vision to help us realize our One Seattle commitment to safety for every person in every neighborhood,” said Harrell in a statement. “… I am confident Chief Barnes is that leader, and that he can further advance positive strides in public safety in Seattle, rooted in innovation, accountability, and community partnership.”
The mayor’s office also shared a statement from Barnes, who emphasized the value he places on relational policing.
“The mayor and I share a vision that crime prevention and community safety is a shared responsibility and that every community member plays a role in keeping Seattle safe,” Barnes said.
The mayor’s announcement comes just days after the firing of former Seattle Chief of Police Adrian Diaz. Diaz had resigned as chief amid complaints of harassment and retaliation and had been serving in a “special projects” role. He was fired Tuesday after an internal investigation found he’d hired an alleged romantic partner to a position he created and supervised, then lied to cover up the affair.
Former King County Sheriff Sue Rahr has served as SPD’s interim chief since May. She and former SPD Chief of Police Kathleen O’Toole led the search for Diaz’s permanent replacement.
Barnes was the top pick from a pool of 44 qualified candidates. The top four candidates took an exam in November, as required by the City Charter. Three candidates passed the exam: Barnes; Nicholas Augustine, assistant chief of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Department of Police; and Emada Tingirides, deputy chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Barnes will take over a department still attempting to rebuild its ranks after an exodus of officers beginning in 2020. City leaders have made hiring a top priority, and have boosted officer pay, significantly increased hiring bonuses and paid for marketing and recruitment campaigns, among other changes. SPD’s number of deployable officers has hovered around 1,000, down from 1,400 in 2019.
The department is also still working to satisfy the requirements necessary to finally satisfy the requirements of its 12 years of oversight by the U.S. Department of Justice. SPD has been under a “consent decree” since 2012 due to officers’ excessive use of force.
In 2023, U.S. District Judge James Robart said that the department had satisfied most of the requirements of the consent decree, but still needed to improve its officer accountability and discipline and its approach to crowd control. Robart affirmed that stance in a hearing in September.
According to his biography, Barnes has served as a subject matter expert for the U.S. Department of Justice on police leadership, critical incident reviews, use-of-force practices, constitutional policing standards and compliance with federal consent decrees. He is also a member of the National Policing Institute’s Council on Policing Reforms and Race.
Update: This article was updated with information about when Barnes will begin as the head of SPD.
