‘That optimism is gone’: Ursula reverses on interim police chief Sayles after misconduct complaint revealed

Seattle’s interim police chief Andre Sayles filed a potentially career-ending misconduct complaint against a veteran detective over a speech he had personally given her permission to make, according to PubliCola. The revelation has cost him the confidence of at least one prominent KIRO Newsradio host.

Ursula Reutin, co-host of “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, said the report changed how she views Sayles as a candidate for the permanent job.

“I was initially optimistic about Andre Sayles as a possible permanent police chief, but that optimism is gone,” Ursula said. “Initially I’d heard he’s very popular with the officers, and with a department that has had a lack of stability, it was like, ‘Oh, maybe there could be someone who comes in and is stable and brings them what they need.’ But man, this one is a real head-scratcher for me.”

PubliCola reported that Sayles accused Detective Beth Wareing of insubordination and dishonesty after she spoke against two initiatives affecting LGBTQ+ students at a “No Hate” rally last November. Wareing, a nearly 30-year SPD veteran who once led the department’s hate crimes unit and worked as a hostage negotiator, bias crimes expert, and clinical counselor, had explicitly sought and received permission from Sayles to speak in her personal capacity, according to the media outlet.

The Office of Police Accountability (OPA) quickly dismissed the complaint. Investigators found Wareing had followed Sayles’ instructions, her political speech was protected, and investigating her further could violate her constitutional rights and expose the city to a lawsuit, PubliCola reported.

Sayles admitted he didn’t read the initiatives he accused her of lying about

The detail that stunned both hosts: Sayles admitted to investigators that he had not read either of the two initiatives before accusing his own detective of lying about them, according to PubliCola.

“He actually admitted to the investigators that he hadn’t even read the two initiatives that he accused Wareing of lying about,” co-host Gee Scott said. “I just want to stop right there.”

Gee said he read the PubliCola report twice because he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“I read through it, and then I said, I need to read through this again, because I’m like, I’m missing something,” Gee said. “And then the only thing I can come up with is I would really love to talk to the interim chief. This can’t be the end of the story.”

Wilson knew about the complaint before appointing Sayles

PubliCola also confirmed that Mayor Katie Wilson knew about the complaint and its dismissal before naming Sayles as interim chief three weeks ago.

“The mayor knew about this and still appointed him interim chief,” Ursula said. “Huh.”

Wareing told PubliCola the complaint was “a decisive factor” in her decision to retire after 29 years with SPD rather than return from sabbatical.

“Chief Sayles’s complaint was poorly considered, unprofessional, and an attempted violation of my First Amendment rights,” Wareing told PubliCola.

Both Gee and Ursula said Sayles is welcome on the show to tell his side.

“Chief, if you’re listening, you’re invited,” Ursula said. “We want to hear from you.”

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.