New Seattle police chief makes first appearance

Seattle police chief makes first appearance at community meeting

The Seattle Police Department's newest police chief Shon Barnes made his first appearance at a community engagement meeting in West Seattle on Tuesday.

SEATTLE - The Seattle Police Department's new police chief made his first appearance at a community engagement meeting in West Seattle.

Chief Shon Barnes gave a talk and took questions from community leaders and the audience at the Southwest Precinct on Tuesday night.

The newest leader of the Seattle Police Department opened up to a packed room about his professional pivot from high school history teacher to a career in law enforcement.

Chief Barnes also laid out priorities moving forward that he describes as not his, but those that reflect the department, including:

Crime prevention
Community engagement
Retention and recruitment of the workforce
Officer safety and wellness
Continuous improvement

Tuesday night's meeting was hosted by the Southwest Precinct Advisory Council, and a coordinator says to expect more open meetings every quarter.

The Source: Information in this story is from the Seattle Police Department, the Southwest Precinct Advisory Council and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.