Shon F. Barnes

Chief Barnes has a 24-year history as a police officer. He began his career with the Greensboro, North Carolina Police Department, where he rose to the rank of Captain. Following that role, he served as Deputy Chief of Police in Salisbury, North Carolina, and then as Director of Training and Professional Development with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability in Chicago, Illinois. He has served as Madison, Wisconsin’s Chief of Police from 2021 until his appointment as Chief of Police in Seattle Washington in February 2025.  

Barnes holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati, and a Bachelor of Arts in History/Pre-Law from Elizabeth City State University. He has also participated in ongoing professional education with the Senior Management Institute for Police, Southern Police Institute, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

Chief Barnes has served as a subject matter expert for the U.S. Department of Justice on police leadership, critical incident reviews, use of force practices, constitutional policing standards, and compliance with federal consent decrees. 

He has been recognized as a National Institute of Justice Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science Scholar and is a member of the National Policing Institute’s Council on Policing Reforms and Race. Barnes was named an HBCU Living Legend in 2023. He was inducted into the George Mason University’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy Hall of Fame in 2024, an honor recognizing his use of data analytics and the evidence of what works best in policing. 

In 2020, Barnes walked the 54-mile route from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama with Chief Tarrick McGuire of the Arlington, Virginia police department and Dr. Obed Magny to commemorate the historic 1965 civil rights march led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Barnes is co-founder of the 54th Mile Project and has helped develop a national training curriculum on police and race.   

Chief Barnes is married to Dr. Stephanie Dance-Barnes, a leader in higher education and expert in cancer biology. Together, they have three children.