‘It’s not rocket science’: Gee and Ursula agree Seattle’s next police chief needs to come from within SPD

KIRO hosts Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin agree — Seattle’s next police chief should come from within the department, with interim Chief Andre Sayles already drawing support as a potential candidate.

Ursula said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio that Sayles hasn’t committed to applying for the permanent job but has said he wants to stay with the Seattle Police Department (SPD). She added that the Seattle Police Officers Guild strongly supports Sayles and that rank-and-file officers consider him a “cop’s cop.”

Ursula also noted that former interim SPD Chief Sue Rahr told The Seattle Times that city hall politics are too toxic to attract a top-tier outside hire, and that Rahr believes the next chief will have to come from within.

“I 1,000,000% agree,” Gee said. “The next police chief of Seattle needs to come from within SPD.

“Yes,” Ursula responded.

“It’s not rocket science,” Gee said.

The conversation came after former King County Sheriff John Urquhart said on a previous segment that Seattle has cycled through eight police chiefs since 2009, with an average tenure of two years, and questioned what top candidate would want the job.

Ursula noted that Rahr believes the situation could force Seattle to promote from within, something both she and Gee said they support.

‘You’re about public safety, and the mayor’s office is not’: Gee questions interim SPD chief’s independence

Despite the early support for Sayles, Gee said he believes the interim chief is saying what Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson wants him to say. He drew a parallel to corporate America.

“Companies will tell you, ‘Hey, we want your perspective. We want your diversity of thought. We want you to lead,'” Gee said. “But a lot of times, all that means is we want you to walk and talk like we want you to.”

Gee pointed to Seattle recording zero homicides in June, the city’s first homicide-free June since 1970, as evidence that things were working under former Chief Shon Barnes before the leadership shakeup.

“If you want to tell me that the chief needed to go, OK,” Gee said. “All of the travel things and all those things, all of that stuff was happening under the mayor, and success was still happening.”

Gee said when Sayles was asked about the surveillance camera issue, a point of contention between Barnes and Wilson, the interim chief gave “the most political answer,” saying he would continue collaborating with the mayor’s office.

Ursula noted that Barnes was clearly in favor of turning the cameras on and clashed with Wilson over it.

“This isn’t just SPD. This is corporate America,” Gee said. “You could be doing your job the right way, but if you’re not one of them, right? If you don’t talk like they want you to, you’re out, and they want to put somebody else in that’s going to talk like we want to. To the interim chief, continue to do your job, good brother. No doubt about it. But it’s gonna be hard because you’re about public safety, and the mayor’s office is not.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.