(The Center Square) – Seattle Mayor-elect Katie Wilson signaled the direction of her public safety agenda with her Wednesday announcement that Police Chief Shon Barnes would retain his position in her administration, while also pointing to a focus on coordinating with the city’s expanding Community Assisted Response and Engagement, or CARE, team.
CARE provides unarmed, community-based responses to mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness crises, connecting people with services, supplies and shelter.
Wilson said she is also retaining Seattle Fire Department Chief Harold Scoggins, Office of Emergency Management Director Curry Mayer, and CARE Chief Amy Barden.
“I believe these leaders can work together and form a unified team committed to strengthening coordination, reform, accountability, and results,” Wilson said in a news release.
Wilson was a vocal proponent of the “defund the police” movement after George Floyd’s murder in May 2020, supporting significant budget cuts for the Seattle Police Department. She has since stated that her views have shifted and the original defund framing was not helpful. She still advocates for reimagining public safety with an emphasis on civilian-led alternative responses for non-violent calls.
Her mayoral platform called for adequately staffing the SPD, including continued hiring.
In response to Wilson’s decision, Barnes said he is “extremely honored” to continue his role, which he has served since Jan. 31. He was officially sworn in as the permanent Seattle police chief on July 1.
“Public safety is a shared value, and our priorities remain intact: crime prevention, community engagement, retention and recruitment of a qualified workforce, safety and wellness, and continuous improvement,” Barnes said. “These priorities will guide the Seattle Police Department into 2026. They will also position us to become a national model for exceptional policing under the leadership of Mayor Wilson and her dedicated staff.”
Barnes – who previously served as the chief of police in Madison, Wis., since 2021 – came to SPD with a background encompassing improved community-police relations and culture changes within police departments.
Barnes’ resume includes being recognized as a National Institute of Justice Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science Scholar, and he is a member of the National Policing Institute’s Council on Policing Reforms and Race.
When Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell first announced his selection of Barnes as the next police chief, he touted improved crime statistics in Madison under Barnes. In 2024, the city saw a 67% decrease in homicides, a 40% decrease in auto thefts, a 36% decrease in burglaries, and a 19% decrease in reports of shots fired.
Wilson campaigned on expanding CARE. The decision to retain Barnes indicates that he will focus on streamlining coordination between the SPD and the alternative police response department so that the latter can respond to calls that do not pose a threat of violence or involve a medical emergency.
CARE now oversees diversion programs, public safety shelter resources, and street safety, teams as Seattle moves toward a fully integrated response system for nonviolent public-order issues. On Tuesday, the Seattle City Council approved a contract with the Seattle Police Officer Guild that doubles CARE’s staffing and allows unarmed crisis responders to be dispatched directly to more types of 911 calls, including many that previously required a police presence.
Seattle City Councilmember Maritza Rivera is supportive of police-alternative responses, but said more data on outcomes of CARE responses is needed amid expansion plans for the program in 2026.
“I don’t have the data and outcomes necessary, by which, I feel like this department warrants now. We don’t have information. That’s just the bottom line; we don’t have outcomes information,” Rivera said during an Oct. 17 budget committee meeting. “I don’t think this is necessarily working out in real-time the way that, at least, I was hoping for.”
During budget deliberations on Oct. 30, Rivera requested more information on CARE staff’s training and outcomes to better inform the public amid an expansion of the department.
Wilson will be sworn in as the mayor of the Emerald City next month, with improved police staffing levels. She said any promotions made within the SPD will be rooted in performance, integrity, and good judgment. As of Dec. 4, SPD has hired more officers in 2025 than any year since 2010. The department currently has 921 deployable officers.
