‘The person needs to be here’: Gee says next police chief should come from within SPD as Wilson launches national search

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson officially launched a national search for the city’s next permanent police chief.

Gee Scott, co-host of “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, said he understands the formality but believes the answer is already inside the department.

“The next police chief of Seattle needs to come within the group, the SPD, the officers that are here today,” Gee said.

Gee noted that he has never been more confident in the department than he is right now, despite the leadership turmoil.

“Me personally, I have never had more confidence in SPD than I have right now,” Gee said. “With everything that is going on, you see them engaging out in the community. You see a department that has been through reform. You’ve seen a department that has been through the consent decree.

“All kinds of things, and here they are today, still doing their job to the best of their ability,” he continued. “So that lets me know, outside of some of the stuff that’s being said and talked about with leadership, SPD right now, through it all, through the police chiefs, is solid. So the person that needs to lead needs to be here now.”

Gee compared the required national search to the NFL’s Rooney Rule, suggesting it may be more procedural than substantive.

“It’s kind of like the Rooney Rule sometimes in the NFL,” Gee said. “They just bring some Black coaches up in there, with no plan to hire.”

Gee questions Wilson’s credibility on policing

Gee also pointed out the awkward dynamic of a mayor who was once aligned with the defund-the-police movement now leading a search for the city’s top cop.

“Katie Wilson used to be a part of that crowd,” Gee said. “So, what chief wants to come in from the outside and work with someone that doesn’t even want to turn on some dang gone CCTV cameras?”

“It’s going to take somebody, I believe, internally who understands all that and is willing to put their neck out and say, ‘Yeah, I’ll run this department,'” Ursula responded.

Gee added that former Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes’ vacation, which drew public criticism, was approved by the mayor herself.

“You want to know who approves a vacation for Chief Shon Barnes? The mayor of Seattle,” Gee said. “So, if any problems were had about his vacation, go to the person who was approving the vacation.”

Ursula agrees but raises a harder question

KIRO host Ursula Reutin agreed that an internal hire makes sense but raised the reality of why an outside candidate might not want the job either.

“When you have had six police chiefs in the past decade, what really good candidate from elsewhere is going to want to step up and say, ‘Yeah, I want to join this chaos?'” Ursula said.

Ursula said the department is still recovering from years of political hostility, pointing to former Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant’s push to defund the police, ongoing early retirements, and the constant churn in leadership.

“All this garbage that has been happening with horrible leadership and this constant churn has made it very difficult,” Ursula said.

Ursula acknowledged that while she doesn’t think Interim Chief Andre Sayles is the right fit for the permanent role, she believes there are strong internal candidates worthy of consideration.

“I hope that she is successful and finds a great candidate, but so far I’ve not been impressed with the decisions that she makes, and this one is enormously important,” Ursula said.

The city plans to spend September and October gathering community input before interviewing finalists by the end of the year, with the goal of naming a new chief in early 2027, according to the mayor’s office.

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.