Seattle City Council confirms Sean Fitzgerald Barnes as police chief after committee review and public concerns about ICE

Sean Fitzgerald Barnes was confirmed as Seattle Police Chief by the Seattle City Council on July 1 following a public safety committee recommendation and a roll-call vote that was unanimous.

The confirmation followed a multiweek nomination process and committee review. Council President Sarah Nelson read the public safety committee report that forwarded appointment 3175 for full council consideration. Council Member Joe Kettle, chair of the public safety committee, described Barnes as an outside candidate with ‘‘a diverse background . . . as a teacher and a marine’’ and said the nominee showed outreach to neighborhood and accountability partners.

The nomination drew sustained attention from public commenters who urged the council to address interactions between Seattle Police Department officers and federal immigration teams. Public commenter Matt Payne said he had ‘‘not see[n] dangerous criminals being removed’’ during time spent in immigration court and appealed to the council and SPD to ‘‘engage directly with the immigrant community’’ and to ‘‘develop SPD protocols to prevent unlawful detentions by unbadged or unidentified individuals.’’ Another commenter, Patrick McKee, told the council, ‘‘ICE needs to be told they cannot operate with impunity in Seattle, cannot solicit the collaboration of SPD and their crimes, cannot assault and kidnap our residents.’’ A third in-person commenter asked whether the council would consider legislation ‘‘requiring all the ICE agents to be demasked and requiring for them to be identified.’’

Council members addressed those concerns in discussion before the vote. Kettle said the committee emphasized ‘‘being professional’’ and understanding ‘‘what our job is, what are the rights and responsibilities that go with that,’’ and noted ongoing conversations with the mayor’s office and other entities about federal law enforcement activity. Council Member Sara Hollingsworth and others praised Barnes’s outreach to communities and accountability partners and said they expected the chief to continue building trust.

Barnes, in brief remarks after confirmation, quoted a community member he had lunch with: ‘‘if you wanna go fast, go alone, but if you wanna go far, go together,’’ and said the department would prioritize professionalism and outreach. He thanked the council, the men and women of the Seattle Police Department, and Mayor Bruce Harrell, and said the department would present a plan to the community.

The roll call on the confirmation recorded votes of aye from all nine council members present: Council Member Solomon; Council Member Strauss; Council Member Hollingsworth; Council Member Kettle; Council Member Moore; Council Member Rink; Council Member Rivera; Council Member Saka; and Council President Sarah Nelson. The clerk announced ‘‘9 in favor and none opposed.’’

Discussion vs. decision: the council’s vote was a formal confirmation. Related discussion included public comments urging limits on federal immigration enforcement activity in city spaces and council remarks that the city will address such concerns through professional protocols and continued interbranch conversations. No local ordinance or specific policy change regarding federal agents was adopted during this meeting.

Context and next steps: Council members repeatedly said the ‘‘real work begins’’ now, asking the chief to collaborate with accountability partners, neighborhood leaders and the mayor’s office. Members who represent neighborhoods with elevated public-safety concerns said they would track Barnes’s follow-up plans and metrics for performance.