After much prayer, reflection, and conversations with the people I love most, I made the difficult decision to resign as Chief of Police for the City of Seattle.
This is not how I hoped this chapter would end.
I came to Seattle because I believed in this city. I believed in the members of the Seattle Police Department, and I believed we could make meaningful progress together. I believed we could strengthen trust, improve public safety, and build stronger relationships between the department and the communities we serve. Despite everything that has happened over the past several weeks, I still believe those things today.
Serving as your Chief has been one of the greatest honors of my career.
Over the past year, we accomplished a great deal together. Crime declined to levels not seen since before the pandemic. We strengthened relationships throughout our neighborhoods, expanded community engagement, improved recruitment, invested in our officers and professional staff, and launched initiatives designed to make Seattle safer for everyone who calls this city home. Those accomplishments were never about one person. They were the result of dedicated officers, detectives, professional staff, community partners, elected leaders, and residents who chose to work together in pursuit of something bigger than themselves.
I’m incredibly proud of what we accomplished, but I’m even more proud of how we accomplished it. We accomplished it together.
My heart continues to ache for the victims, survivors, witnesses, first responders, and families forever changed by last week’s tragedy. Their pain should remain at the center of our attention. They deserve justice, they deserve healing, and they deserve a department that will continue pursuing every lead until everyone responsible is held accountable.
The past several weeks has also been among the most difficult of my life.
I have never expected public service to be free from criticism. Leadership requires accountability and transparency, and I have always accepted that responsibility.
What I did not expect was how quickly misinformation would replace facts.
False narratives about my commitment to this city, my presence, my residency, and even my character spread with incredible speed. Those falsehoods didn’t stop with me. They reached my wife, my children, and the people I love most. We received hateful messages and death threats that no family should ever have to endure.
That has been one of the most painful parts of this journey.
I firmly believe our community deserved stronger collaboration, clearer communication, and more visible unity from some its leaders during difficult moments. Public confidence is strongest when leaders stand together, communicate honestly, and remain focused on serving the people they were elected or appointed to represent. I wish we had done more of that.
To the members of the Seattle Police Department, thank you. You welcomed me into your department, challenged me to become a better leader, and inspired me. I watched you respond to heartbreaking tragedies, comfort victims, solve difficult cases, and continue serving this city with professionalism and compassion despite extraordinary challenges. Serving beside you has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.
To everyone who welcomed me, challenged me, supported my family, prayed for us, and believed in our work together, thank you. Your kindness carried us through some very difficult days, and we will never forget it.
While my title has changed, my values have not. My faith has not. My commitment to serving others has not.
Seattle will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will always be grateful for the privilege of serving this remarkable city.
Dr. Shon F. Barnes
