Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes: Public Safety & Economic Impact
Please join us for a conversation with Chief Shon Barnes, who will reach his one-year mark as Seattle’s Chief of Police in early 2026. Chief Barnes will discuss and answer questions about his first year as chief, what has worked, where there is room for improvement, and how he’s using evidence-based policing and culture change inside the department to improve public safety. Hosted by HBS Seattle.
Chief Barnes is a national leader in implementing technology and scientific methods to reduce crime. His evidence-based policing record also includes improving data collection and analysis to identify institutional barriers to diversity and inclusion. Before coming to Seattle, Barnes served as Chief of Police in Madison, Wisconsin, and held leadership roles in North Carolina. As Deputy Chief in Salisbury, NC, he implemented the stratified policing model, which embeds evidence-informed procedures for handling different incident types, strengthens problem-oriented policing, elevates the work of crime analysts, and improves accountability.
Under Chief Barnes’ leadership, SPD has launched several innovations, including the Real Time Crime Center that supports evidence-based solutions and helps communities respond to urgent public safety challenges. This work includes expanded use of CCTV cameras, automated license plate readers, and other tools at key intersections and corridors. A major priority for Chief Barnes is rebuilding the department’s staffing, which dwindled to its lowest staffing level in 30 years before his appointment. He has made recruiting and hiring new, highly qualified officers a central piece of his cultural change within the department.
Chief Barnes holds degrees from Elizabeth City State University and the University of Cincinnati, and a Ph.D. from North Carolina A&T State University, where his dissertation examined racial profiling in police stops.
This event is a chance to hear directly from and ask questions of Chief Barnes about crime reduction, organizational culture change, the future of SPD, the economic impact of clean and safe cities, and what 21st-century policing looks like in Seattle
• State of Public Safety in Seattle
• What has worked
• Where there is room for improvement
• Evidence-based policing
• Culture change inside the department
• Economic impact of clean and safe neighborhoods
Who’s Invited:
• HBS alumni (all programs)
• Ivy+ (Stanford, Wharton, Booth, Columbia, MIT, etc.)
• Harvard undergrad/grad alumni
We expect this event to sellout, so secure your place today.
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes: Public Safety & Economic Impact
Safety, economics, broken windows
Thursday, January 29, 2026
6:00pm - 8:30pm PT
6:00pm - 7:00pm PT - Arrival and networking
7:00pm - 8:00pm PT - Presentation and Q&A
8:00pm - 8:30pm PT - Networking and socializing
8:30pm PT - Closing
Downtown Seattle
Cost: $30
Hosts:
We look forward to seeing you at our event!
How a public school teacher became Seattle's police chief
Shon Barnes on Hard Turn Episode 7
YouTube - November 5, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q7E5Bd5OMk
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes answers questions about hiring and public safety
YouTube - October 30, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7rvNHCCTMo
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes on crime stats, recruiting, and community policing
YouTube - September 19, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_aC7Cz3cvM
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes
Apple Podcasts - May 14, 2025
https://podcasts.apple.com/jp/podcast/episode-84-shon-barnes/id1604292146?i=1000708455375&l=en-US
Seattle Police Department
YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@spdblotter
Seattle Police Department
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Police_Department
Seattle Police Department
Home Page on seattle.gov
https://www.seattle.gov/police
Seattle Police Precinct, Beat & Neighborhood Lookup
arcgis.com interactive map
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/instant/lookup/index.html?appid=cf1b0198a1b94db5a8152c9f93232fa5
About Dr. Shon Barnes:
Shon F. Barnes is a nationally recognized leader in crime reduction and community-police relations. In recognition of his contributions, Chief Barnes was honored as a National Institute of Justice, LEADS Scholar (Law Enforcement Advancement using Data and Science) for his innovative use of technology and scientific methods to combat crime. He previously served as the Chief of Police in Madison, Wisconsin and was the Director of Training and Professional Development for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability in Chicago, Illinois. Before that, Chief Barnes was the Deputy Chief of Police in Salisbury, North Carolina (2017-2020) and held the rank of Captain with the Greensboro Police Department, where he began his career as a patrol officer in the fall of 2000. He is also a council member on the National Police Institute’s Council on Policing Reforms and Race, a nonpartisan initiative dedicated to using research and evidence to address pressing issues in police reform.
Throughout his career, Chief Barnes has championed Neighborhood Oriented Policing, which emphasizes smaller police beat responses, neighborhood ownership, and community engagement at all organizational levels. He is a national advocate for Evidence-Based Policing strategies and was inducted into the Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame at George Mason University. Most recently, he received the Excellence in Policing Award from The Center for Police Practice, Policy and Research at Radford University.
Chief Barnes holds a B.A. in History/Pre-Law from Elizabeth City State University (Elizabeth City, North Carolina) and a Master's degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio). He has also earned a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (Greensboro, North Carolina) with a published dissertation that explored racial profiling in police traffic stops. This work was awarded the 2018 Outstanding Dissertation Award for the College of Arts and Sciences at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
His philosophy on policing can be summarized as follows: "Community policing should be neighborhood-oriented, community-focused (encompassing both businesses and residences), problem-oriented, and grounded in the most current empirical research available to swiftly reduce crime and enhance citizens' satisfaction with police services.”
Seattle Police Precinct, Beat & Neighborhood Interactive Map
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