KIRO 7 asked Mayor Katie Wilson if former Chief Shon Barnes was made to “take the fall” for the lack of information, following the deadly shooting at the Bite of Seattle.
Other than a social media post from Seattle Police around 6:30 pm, it was 5 hours before the public heard basic safety information on Sunday, including that at least one suspect was at large and that the Seattle Center had been shut down.
At the time, Chief Barnes was attending a conference in Texas, and his frequent trips had raised eyebrows.
Mayor Wilson insisted there were several reasons why she asked for his resignation but was not specific.
However, when she described what she wants in the next police chief was revealing.
“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 through any emergency.”
The mayor says she’s also looking for someone who can clearly communicate in stressful situations, handle criticism, and - first and foremost – lead the men and women of the SPD.
While the search gets underway for a permanent chief, the mayor has tapped Deputy Chief Andre Sayles to be Interim Chief.
Sayles joined Seattle Police last year, after serving as chief of police in Wisconsin for four years. He’s been a cop for more than 20 years.
Wilson says Sayles can “hit the ground running.”
That’s important, with Seafair events this weekend. Sayles knows people are worried, after the deadly Bite of Seattle shooting, so he says he’s putting more officers on patrol.
“You will see an increase of foot patrol officers, bike officers, POET officers – which is our police outreach engagement team officers - and other units from the police department.”
He says the heightened presence will continue at public events through the rest of the summer.