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Um holy shit - Police Chief Shon Barnes got PISSED at @soseaemerald.bsky.social reporter Connor Nash when Nash asked about my reporting that Barnes is out of town a lot; Barnes said, "No YOU listen!" and then angrily said my "reports are WRONG." My reporting is based on his schedule.

My goal is to create a clean slate, but it means I will have closed more than a dozen requests without the Seattle Police Department providing public info they are legally obligated to provide, between this set and a set I closed previously that were even older (going back to 2022).

The bummer about closing out these old requests (in most cases, SPD never coughed up a single record) is that it shows delay tactics work. I still have tons of unanswered questions about things that happened under (and involving) the previous police chief, but SPD just kept sending me delay notices.

Closing down a bunch of records requests that I made with the Seattle Police Department two or more years ago, all of which pertain to incidents and stories that are no longer timely, like alllllll the Adrian Diaz ones. I have new requests and just don't want all these old ones used as excuses.

He didn't have a crystal ball!!!

My story from this morning: publicola.com/2026/07/27/s...

As I reported today, Barnes was at a conference of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. When I've reviewed his time out of town in the past, he's typically been at conferences, giving speeches, at events for his fraternity, or at his family home in Chicago.

Asked whether he was in town during the shooting, Barnes said, "I wish I had a crystal ball and we could schedule gun violence but we can't."

Asked (I believe by @chrisdaniels.bsky.social) why it took five hours to brief the press last night, Barnes said people "should be mad."

I've been writing this morning and will be watching this morning's presser on the Seattle Center mass shooting from home, so you won't hear me ask whether Police Chief Barnes is planning to stay in Seattle instead of remaining out of town until mid-August as planned. Hope someone does!

Seattle Police Chief Out of Town During Mass Shooting; Council's School Meals Plan Will Require Cuts to Other Services Today's Morning Fizz.

axios please be serious

Yep, I've broken several stories on this. publicola.com/2025/08/20/n...

He did the same commuting thing when he was police chief in Madison, WI—not as far away from Chicago as Seattle is, but still an out-of-town gig.

Facebook indicates the chief is currently at this event; no word yet from SPD on where he planned to be for the rest of July and through mid-August or how long he's been out of town. noblenational.org/events/

Barnes makes around $370,000 a year. He has repeatedly been out of town, at events in other cities or at his family home in Chicago, during emergencies like today’s mass shootimg.

Barnes’ family residence is in Chicago and he rents here while making frequent trips home and out of town in general. Ive reached out to SPD; during past emergency incidents when he’s been elsewhere, they’ve told me it’s no problem because of his qualified staff.

During today’s shooting, and currently, Seattle police chief shon Barnes was out of town. He had planned to be out of the city until mid-August.

Um, now I need to try this blackberry Dr. Pepper, possibly hot.

the people (well, Mike) have spoken