FOLLOWUP: Seattle Police chief search proceeds with ’40+ qualified applications’
Three months after former Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes‘s departure, Mayor Katie Wilson‘s office has provided an update today on the search for a new permanent chief. More than “40 qualified applications” were in by the cutoff date at the end of October, “including both internal and external candidates.” The advisory committee co-chaired by a West Seattleite, retired State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu, is reviewing them now and “will advance the top candidates for a competitive examination later this month, final interviews with Mayor Wilson in December, and a final selection in the next few months.” The update also summarized the community-engagement report, including survey and “listening sessions,” citing the following “recurring themes” for what kind of chief people wanted:
Someone who is deeply connected to Seattle.
Someone interested in developing proactive relationships and engaging Seattle’s diverse communities.
Someone who emphasizes accountability, transparency, and rebuilding community trust.
Someone ready to improve operational performance including 9-1-1 response time, visible patrols, coordination across departments, and measurable safety outcomes.
Someone ready to implement a balanced approach to public safety that pairs enforcement with prevention and diversified response.
Someone who will lead with cultural competence, emotional intelligence, humility, and the ability to build strong relationships with community.
Someone who is collaborative, data-driven, and ready to work with businesses, partners, and community to address crime, disorder, and everyday safety.
No open-to-the-public listening sessions were held in West Seattle but the report says individual meetings were held with “three community organizations from West Seattle.” The update says the mayor also is using an “internal survey”. and meetings to get SPD opinions as well. Read the full search update here.
