Chief Shon F. Barnes, Ph.D. serves as the Chief of Police for the Seattle Police Department. He is a nationally recognized leader in crime reduction, police reform, and community-police relations.
Chief Barnes is a National Institute of Justice LEADS Scholar (Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science), honored for his innovative use of research, data, and technology to combat crime and strengthen public safety. He has held leadership roles across the country, including Chief of Police in Madison, Wisconsin; Director of Training and Professional Development for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability in Chicago, Illinois; Deputy Chief of Police in Salisbury, North Carolina; and Captain with the Greensboro Police Department, where he began his career as a patrol officer in 2000.
A longtime member of NOBLE, Chief Barnes has also served as a council member on the National Police Institute’s Council on Policing Reforms and Race, a nonpartisan initiative dedicated to advancing research-driven reforms and equity in policing.
His commitment to Evidence-Based Policing has earned national recognition. He was inducted into the Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame at George Mason University and 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, a Master’s in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati, and a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. His award-winning dissertation examined racial profiling in police traffic stops and was recognized with the 2018 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the College of Arts and Sciences at N.C. A&T.
Chief Barnes’ philosophy of policing is rooted in service and accountability:
“Community policing should be neighborhood-oriented, community-focused, problem-oriented, and grounded in the most current empirical research available to swiftly reduce crime and enhance citizens’ satisfaction with police services.”
