People across Seattle are weighing in on the qualities and characteristics they’d like to see in the next police chief.
People across Seattle are weighing in on the qualities and characteristics they’d like to see in the city’s next police chief.
The nationwide search comes months after the deadly Bite of Seattle shooting at Seattle Center, which led to now-former Seattle Police Department Chief Shon Barnes’ resignation.
Participants at the second of three public listening sessions said they want a top cop with experience and someone who prioritizes community involvement and tackling gun violence, among other qualities.
“[We’d like] someone who understands what it means to lead with empathy, to lead with respect,” Alison Scott with the Greater Seattle Business Association explained.
“[I’d like to see] more conversations around policing and alternatives to policing, especially with conversations around ICE,” one woman added.
“Reducing gun violence is huge. It’s not just Seattle Center. It is all over this city,” Jaye Ware of Seattle stated.
“We need more resources in all parts of the public safety ecosystem,” another woman said. “We need more armed officers. We need more CARE units.”
Tackling gun violence was a common theme, as were calls for more officers and increased neighborhood patrols.
Appollonia Washington’s Central District daycare and learning center was hit by stray bullets nearly three years ago, sending children ducking for cover.
“I work with children. They’re my heart,” Washington said. “Making sure the chief is going into the schools, tapping in with parents and caregivers to make sure these children are staying off the streets.”
The process for selecting the next chief includes input from Mayor Wilson’s new search advisory committee, announced Sept. 25.
Business Improvement Area Executive Director Erin Goodman is on the committee, which is made up of business and community group leaders, the police union president, a retired state Supreme Court judge and others who want to hear from Seattle residents about their priorities.
That group will recommend three to five finalists to Mayor Wilson, Goodman said.
“Folks are optimistic, but what I’m hearing is they want somebody who understands Seattle and its various neighborhoods,” Goodman said.
The nationwide search follows the Bite of Seattle shooting, which led Mayor Wilson to ask now-former Chief Shon Barnes to resign, citing communication failures and a fundamental misalignment with her administration’s long-term values and policy goals.
Public trust in SPD and City Hall was damaged by a five-hour communication gap before the public received an update on the shooting. People were left in the dark about whether there was a remaining threat at Seattle Center.
“What do you think the city needs to do to regain the public’s trust in terms of finding its next police chief?” KOMO’s Jackie Kent asked.
“I think communication [and] transparency,” Goodman said. “I think we’re having those conversations and we’re hearing those conversations coming out of City Hall. But, as we know, rebuilding trust is much harder, so I think some of this is going to take some time.”
The committee reported that the city had received at least 23 applications for the job as of Monday.
The next listening session will be Sept. 30 at North Seattle College from 6 to 8 p.m.
The mayor will interview the finalists in December and is expected to announce her selection in January.
For information about the final listening session or to fill out the public survey, click here.
