Mayor Katie Wilson Under Fire After Seattle Police Chief Steps Down

The Center Square YT

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August 2nd, 2026

DESCRIPTION

Seattle Police Officers Guild President Kent Lu says this week's events may have created an opportunity for Mayor Katie Wilson to push Police Chief Shawn Barnes toward resignation, raising new questions about how the leadership change unfolded. In this episode, we examine Lu's comments on the timing of Barnes' departure, why he believes Seattle officers' response to the Bite of Seattle shooting has been overshadowed, and why the Downtown Seattle Association says it is concerned about maintaining recent public safety gains. We also look at what comes next as Seattle begins a nationwide search for its next police chief. #Seattle #SeattlePolice #KatieWilson #PublicSafety #SeattleNews #WashingtonPolitics #TheCenterSquare #WashingtonInFocus

The Center Square YT

The focus of The Center Square's work is state and local level government and economic reporting. A taxpayer sensibility distinguishes our work from other coverage of state and local issues. As a result of this approach, our audiences are better informed about the focus of state and local government and its cost to the citizens whose tax dollars fund governmental decisions.