Wilson said applications are coming in now that the job posting is live.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson gave an update Thursday on the search for the city's next police chief after the departure of Shon Barnes, with city leaders emphasizing community input in the process.
Wilson said applications are coming in now that the job posting is live.
The city will hold three community forums, smaller roundtables, and an online survey to gather feedback about what the public wants in a new chief.
Later this fall, a community advisory committee will review the applicants and narrow the field.
"My goal is that by the end of this year, around the end of this year, I'll be able to select that new chief," said Wilson.
Until a new chief is selected, interim Chief Andre Sayles will continue leading the Seattle Police Department.
When asked why Sayles was not present during this week's public safety announcements, Wilson told KOMO News, "He is a busy man."
The search comes after the mayor asked Barnes to resign days after a deadly mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle festival.
In his first comments since resigning at Wilson's request, Barnes told KOMO News he was never told why he was asked to step aside and insisted he did not direct any delay in releasing information to the public after the shooting.
"I think operationally, City of Seattle did an excellent job," Barnes said. He acknowledged, "They should not have to be, to not have to wait that long and that certainly was a failure of the entire incident, if you will." Barnes said he did not request a delay in sharing information while he attended a conference in Dallas during the shooting. "I did not," Barnes said. "I do not know who made that call." He explained, "If I was here in Seattle, we would have informed the public continuously, more than one particular interview."
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Barnes also said his absences from the city were always communicated to Wilson.
"I always let the mayor know when I'm going to be out of town. I always let my boss know when I'm out of town and what the line of succession is. And as soon as it's over, I come back. And again, when this incident happened, I got on the plane, came directly back and assumed my role. The police chief's job does not stop because you're not in the city of Seattle." He added, "She doesn't really approve my time. She can always deny it. But usually, you send an email, you tell them where you're going to go and you tell them what's going to happen. Hey, I'm going to this thing. This is who's going to be in charge. I'm always available by phone. I'm always available by Teams."
Barnes said Wilson never told him his performance was lacking.
"No, no, never. We never had an issue. We never had a conversation that I would describe as adversarial. In my judgment, the mayor is very respectful. She's very thoughtful. She listens to me," he said.
Wilson said her decision stemmed from "multiple factors and failures" related to the shooting, though she declined to share additional details. She emphasized that the search for the next chief will focus on candidates who can navigate public criticism, work with police accountability agencies and support alternative crisis response programs. The mayor said the process will involve community engagement throughout.
Barnes said he hopes the police department will get a voice in choosing the next chief: "Whatever I do next, it will be around serving others because I want to make my parents proud."
