SEATTLE — Outgoing Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes received a severance package valued at approximately $700,000 under an optional resignation agreement with the City of Seattle that took effect July 30, 2026, the same day that marked his final day on the payroll, according to documents released by KOMO’s Jeremy Harris and confirmed by city records.
“It has been an honor to serve the Seattle Police Department and this city,” said Chief Barnes in a statement on his resignation. “The members of this department show up every single day with professionalism and dedication, and what they did in the aftermath of the Bite of Seattle tragedy reflects the very best of who they are. I am proud of them, and I have deep faith in the future of this department and in the vision for community-based policing that is taking root here. Seattle is committed to building a department that is truly connected to the communities it serves. I am proud of the work we have done, believe in the direction the city is headed, and have full confidence that the department will achieve success in tackling its most urgent public safety challenge, addressing youth gun violence and preventing more tragedies. That work is too important, and Seattle deserves nothing less.”
The agreement, signed by Barnes on July 30 and by Mayor Katie Wilson, states his separation as a voluntary resignation. The direct cash portion totals roughly $590,477 and includes a lump-sum payment equal to 18 months of salary at Barnes’ rate of $179.54 per hour, approximately $560,165, plus a lump sum covering 12 months of COBRA health coverage for him and covered family members at $2,525.99 per month, or $30,312. Both payments are subject to ordinary payroll tax withholdings, reported on a W-2 form, and free of LEOFF pension contributions; they are to be issued within 30 days of signature. Unused accrued vacation is to be cashed out under city policy, with other leave balances handled according to policy.
The city also waived any obligation for Barnes to repay a $50,000 hiring incentive received as a new lateral officer and a $60,000 relocation reimbursement (or related moving-expense reimbursements), allowing him to keep those funds and bringing the overall package value near $700,000.
In return, the agreement requires Barnes to release the city from “any and all claims and liabilities arising out of or relating to your employment with the City or your resignation therefrom,” including “all claims and liabilities of any kind whatsoever in law or equity, whether known or unknown,” covering contract, statutory and tort claims under federal, state, local or common law such as the Washington Law Against Discrimination, Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Employment Practices Ordinance. Barnes also agreed “not to initiate, or cause to be initiated, any action, lawsuit, or proceeding against the City and/or any officer or employee of the City” related to his employment or separation, to withdraw any existing agency complaints, and to pay the city’s costs and attorney’s fees if he breaches those promises. He was to remain on the payroll through July 30 but was “relieved of your duties” while required to “promote a smooth and orderly transition of your workload.”
Barnes, 51, became Seattle’s 38th police chief on January 31, 2025, after serving as chief of the Madison, Wisconsin, Police Department from 2021 to early 2025. He previously held roles as director of training and professional development for Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability, deputy chief in Salisbury, North Carolina, and captain with the Greensboro, North Carolina, Police Department, where he began as a patrol officer in 2000.
A former high school history teacher and Marine reservist, Barnes holds a Ph.D. in leadership studies from North Carolina A&T State University, a master’s in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati and a bachelor’s in history/pre-law from Elizabeth City State University. He is a National Institute of Justice LEADS Scholar and has served on national policing reform councils. Barnes is the second Black chief to lead the Seattle Police Department in recent decades.
He succeeded interim Chief Sue Rahr, who had been appointed in May 2024 after Mayor Bruce Harrell removed longtime internal chief Adrian Diaz amid discrimination lawsuits and other controversies. Harrell selected Barnes in late 2024 as an outside reform-oriented leader. The City Council unanimously confirmed Barnes in 2025. Wilson, who defeated Harrell and took office in early 2026, initially retained him.
Barnes’ resignation came four days after a gang-related mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival at Seattle Center on Sunday, July 26 that killed three people and injured four others. Barnes was out of town attending the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives conference in Dallas at the time. SPD faced criticism over delayed and conflicting public communication in the hours after the shooting, and Barnes later drew scrutiny for his travel schedule—up to 50 days on travel in that least 18 months—including trips to Chicago where his family lives, as well as a heated on-camera exchange with a reporter questioning his absences.
🚨#breaking SPD Chief Barns snaps at reporter, backs him into a corner, had to restrained and taken away by staff. Is he mentally fit to be police chief? https://t.co/whnP3s87dz
By the time of Wilson demanding Barnes’ resignation, evidence was pointing to her giving the decision to SPD to allegedly impede and delay information to the public via a Sunday, July 26, presser for the arrival of “dignitaries.” All the elected “dignitaries” who attended the presser have denied they requested any delay and newly released text messages appear to confirm their claims.
The Seattle Police Department operates under the authority of Seattle Mayor Wilson. The SPD chief is appointed by the Mayor of Seattle and “shall be responsible to the Mayor for the administration of the Police Department and the enforcement of law.” Since Barnes was out of town and Mayor Wilson may assume direct command of all or part of SPD. Also, SPD staff is well verse on conducting pressers without “dignitaries” needing to be present.
The delay in waiting for “dignitaries” statement from an SPD spokesperson was also captured by Jeremy Harris of KOMO News Sunday night on video.
When asked at Tuesday’s presser if she, Mayor Wilson, knew about anyone else in her office making calls about delaying the presser without her knowledge, she replied, “That is not my understanding.” Then at three days later at Friday’s presser, Mayor Wilson appeared to have contradicted herself on what she knew when on Sunday night about the lack of public information being shared on the Bite of Seattle shooting.
Earlier she said to one reporter that she found out at 9:40 p.m. that “next to no information” was shared to the public about the shooting yet a minute later to another reporter she admitted that her office posted at 8:45 p.m. about the shooting because “at that point we did realize that nothing was getting out there” and that the “the public was desperate for information.”
Also, according to the text messages obtained through a public records request by Center Square-Washington filed on Monday with Ferguson’s Office, Wilson contacted Ferguson via cell phone at 7:41 p.m. Sunday night saying that “we are pulling together a conference call now and likely a press conference later.”
Therefore, by no later than 7:41 p.m., Mayor Wilson was aware that little to no information was being shared to the public and that she was the arbiter of that information—two full hours prior to her alleging she even knew “that a press conference was being planned at Seattle Center” and unaware that information was not being shared with the public.
Wilson accepted Barnes’ one-sentence resignation letter—“I hereby submit my resignation from the position of Seattle Chief of Police, effective July 30, 2026,” according to the Seattle Times—and appointed Deputy Chief Andre Sayles, a former Beloit, Wisconsin, chief who joined SPD in 2025, as interim leader while a search for a permanent chief begins.
Deputy Chief Sayles brings more than 20 years of law enforcement experience, including serving as Chief of Police in Beloit, Wisconsin. In 2025, Sayles joined the Seattle Police Department as Deputy Chief of Administration and Investigations. Under his oversight, SPD’s Gun Violence Reduction Unit and homicide detectives have continued to close difficult cases, including the arrest of a suspect in the fatal shooting of two teenagers near Rainier Beach High School. The mayor believes he is the right Interim leader for SPD in this moment and to ensure continuity while we conduct a thorough search for a permanent chief.
Wilsons decision to demand Barnes’ resignation drew swift opposition from most City Council members and Black community leaders, who on Thursday, argued the timing was “reckless” amid an ongoing homicide investigation and that Barnes had improved relations and reduced violence.
“Under Chief Barnes’ leadership, Seattle has made meaningful progress,” Councilmember Rob Saka wrote in a statement. “Violent crime has declined, the department has continued rebuilding after years of staffing losses, and important work has been underway to strengthen public trust. The mayor’s decision completely undermines this progress.
Councilmember Maritza Rivera called it “the impulsive and reckless decision to fire Chief Shon Barnes” and “the latest in a series of missteps,” adding that Barnes “has outstanding experience” and that his community-policing model “has made a significant, positive difference.”
Riveria added, “Her [Mayor Wilson’s] lack of experience and her incompetence have led to poor decision making and put the safety of our communities at risk.
In a joint statement from Council President Joy Hollingsworth and Councilmembers Dan Strauss, Debora Juarez and Bob Kettle they stressed that “Seattle requires strong, stable leadership.”
“When communities are grieving, major decisions should be made with great deliberation; making a significant leadership change in this moment puts our city in a precarious situation,” they wrote. “Having cycled through four police chiefs in just two and a half years, our priority must be stability, not further disruption. The people of Seattle deserve reliable leadership, especially as we close out a busy summer of public events.”
Prior to Thursday’s announcement by Wilson, Black leaders, including representatives of the Seattle-King County NAACP, the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, Community Passageways and local clergy, urges Wilson to reverse course.
Bishop Reggie Witherspoon of Mount Calvary Christian Center said leaders “presented a tremendous case on why Chief Barnes should still be the chief” because “the work was getting done immaculately” and “the community was warming up to him,” later expressing disappointment that Wilson’s mind appeared already made up.
Wilson has said the city will conduct a thorough search for a permanent chief with community engagement, prioritizing a leader committed to presence in Seattle and transparent communication.
Author: Mario Lotmore
