Madison Police Chief Takes Top Job in Seattle
Shon Barnes has been overseeing response to Abundant Life school shooting.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes speaks at a press conference following a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis. on Dec. 16, 2024. Angela Major/WPR
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes, who gained national attention while overseeing the response to Monday’s school shooting, will leave Wisconsin to take over leadership of the Seattle Police Department.
Seattle’s mayor announced Barnes appointment Friday.
Barnes’ last day with Madison will be Feb. 1, four years after he started in Madison for the police chief role, Madison Police Department spokesperson Stephanie Fryer confirmed shortly before 2 p.m. Friday.
“Earlier this week, under tragic circumstances, the nation received its introduction to Chief Shon Barnes,” Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said in a statement announcing the appointment. “We all saw firsthand what our team has known since we began this recruitment process — that Chief Barnes possesses the impressive leadership capabilities, compassionate approach, and dedication to effective police work needed to continue moving our Police Department forward.”
The investigation into the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School is still ongoing. Investigators say a 15-year-old student used a handgun to fatally shoot another student and a teacher before apparently killing herself. Six other people were wounded.
Before the shooting took place, a Seattle-area news station reported earlier in December that Barnes was a finalist for the top cop job in Washington state.
Barnes has been leading Madison’s Police Department since 2021, which was part-way through Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway’s first term in office.
Over the course of his close to four years leading Madison’s department, Barnes has applied to police chief positions in several larger cities, but wasn’t selected for those roles.
In October of this year, he was publicly revealed as a finalist for a police chief in San Jose, and last year he was a finalist to lead Chicago’s department.
Madison’s mayor praised Barnes in a statement Friday.
“I would like to congratulate Chief Shon Barnes on his new opportunity in Seattle and thank him for his service to Madison,” she stated. “The Chief has been a steady, forward-thinking leader throughout his tenure and he will be greatly missed. “
She lauded Barnes for strengthening a “holistic, data-driven approach to public safety,” including collaborating with the fire department’s CARES Program. That program allows non-law enforcement staff, such as mental health professionals, to respond to non-violent emergencies.
Rhodes-Conway’s statement also referenced Monday’s shooting and the community response following the incident.
“The tragedy this week has been all-consuming, and we still have much healing to do as a community,” the mayor said. “I’m grateful that the Madison Police Department responded to this unthinkable crisis with the utmost professionalism and compassion. Chief Barnes was at the center of coordinating local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies during an unprecedented moment. He did so admirably. “
She said an interim chief is likely to be appointed while the Madison Police and Fire Commission outlines its plans in “coming weeks” for finding a successor.
Fryer, the Madison police spokesperson, said Barnes “informed PFC (Police and Fire Commission of his intent” on Wednesday.
“The Seattle process was in the works for weeks,” Fryer wrote in a Friday afternoon email, adding that Barnes will not be commenting further because he wants to keep his “focus be on the families of ALCS and our community and the first responders impacted by Monday’s shooting.”
Madison police chief accepts job in Seattle was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real, independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits.
