Interim Seattle Police Chief Sean Barnes lays out vision, priorities and early steps

Interim Seattle Police Chief Sean Barnes told the City Council Public Safety Committee on Feb. 5 that his immediate priorities are a departmental work plan, recruiting and retention, increasing non‑sworn investigative support and implementing what he called “stratified policing.”

Barnes, introduced at the committee meeting by Chair Robert Kettle, framed his public remarks around a five‑pillar vision “to create a safe and supportive Seattle through our commitment to excellence, selfless public service, resilience, community partnerships, and continuous improvement.” He said the department will publish assessment documents and a progress rubric on pending recommendations from outside reviews.

Why it matters: The remarks come as the department completes multiple outside reviews and as councilmembers press for measurable steps on investigations, officer wellness and staffing. Barnes emphasized operational and organizational changes rather than immediate policy shifts, saying his approach will be collaborative with council, the mayor’s office and community partners.

Barnes summarized assessments the department requested in 2023 and said two separate reports — one led by George Mason University researcher Dr. Cynthia Lum and a second by Arizona State University on the sexual‑assault unit — produced largely overlapping recommendations. “We plan to publish these two documents along with a detailed rubric of where we are on the recommendations and we’ll be updating that rubric as we move through these very important recommendations,” Barnes said.

He described specific follow‑up steps the department has begun or will pursue: drafting an investigations manual; rebuilding supervisor and detective training; increasing non‑sworn investigative staff (Barnes said six non‑sworn investigative hires have been authorized and some have been filled); improving victim‑support services and case‑assignment checklists to increase solvability; and creating a departmental work plan that lists priorities and budgeting items.

Barnes addressed staffing and retention, saying Seattle should “prefer to say we’re 900 strong” even while acknowledging the department is roughly “300 short” compared with previous baselines. He described increased applications and said city projections for 2025 show a net increase in hires if current trends hold. On retention, he cited workplace improvements, safety and wellness programs, leadership training and the need to address labor‑contract issues through bargaining.

On reform oversight, Barnes said the department has worked under a consent decree and that “a lot of work went into this,” adding his expectation that the department will reach the end of its consent decree “this year” and enter a phase focused on actualizing recommendations. He said he has scheduled meetings with accountability partners including the Office of Police Accountability and other oversight bodies.

Committee members praised a focus on leadership and on internal procedural justice, and asked Barnes about early lessons and his outreach to accountability partners. Barnes said he has met some oversight officials and has meetings scheduled to discuss discipline and collaboration.

Ending note: Barnes asked for continued collaboration as the department develops the work plan and implements recommendations. No formal actions or votes were taken on the presentation at the committee meeting.