Seattle police chief cancels interview amid scrutiny of travel record
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes called off a scheduled interview after providing calendar data that shows he was away from the city for nearly 50 days between March and July, including during the recent Seattle Center shooting.
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes canceled a planned interview with KOMO News on Wednesday, roughly half an hour before it was to begin. The interview was intended to address the department’s response to the Sunday shooting at Seattle Center, subsequent communication issues, and the chief’s travel schedule.
Instead of speaking, Barnes’ office supplied excerpts from his calendar covering late March through July. The documents indicate the chief was outside Seattle on almost a dozen occasions, including seven work-related conferences and four trips to Chicago to visit family. He was attending a conference in Dallas when the Seattle Center shooting occurred, which left three people dead and several injured.
Barnes has previously acknowledged he was not in Seattle during the incident, and his travel record has drawn questions about his availability. At a news conference earlier in the week, he said, "> I don’t travel as often as I would like to. I think any reports that I’m gone every weekend are grossly misstated," and added that his dedication to the department is evident, especially when his work ethic or integrity is questioned.
The calendar shows trips to Detroit, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Dallas and other locations, as well as personal time for a dental procedure and a medical appointment. By KOMO’s count, the absences total close to 50 days when Barnes was not working from his Seattle office; the records do not clarify whether any duties were performed remotely.
Assistant Chief Tyrone Davis was listed as acting chief during each absence and led the department’s first formal briefing five hours after the shooting. The chief’s office stated that private travel to Chicago is personally funded, while conference travel is covered by the department, sometimes with partial support from organizers. The department has not explained why the calendar was not released earlier.
KOMO News plans to seek answers about the travel details, the discrepancies in Chicago trip dates, and whether Barnes’ absence impacted the city’s response to the shooting, but those questions remain unanswered following the interview cancellation.