‘My feet are here’: Interim SPD Chief Andre Sayles addresses crime, Mayor Katie Wilson, and Seattle’s path forward

Interim Seattle Police Chief Andre Sayles said he’s committed to Seattle and focused on restoring trust and safety after the high‑profile shooting at Seattle Center and the leadership shakeup that followed.

Sayles, who has been with the Seattle Police Department (SPD) for 14 months, said the city has been “very welcoming” and an important step in his personal and professional growth.

“I want the city to know that my feet are here. This is where I’m at, and we’re looking forward to moving forward together as a community and as a police department,” Sayles said.

Andre Sayles reflects on Seattle Center shooting

Sayles described the Seattle Center shooting as an “unfortunate night” that put a spotlight on both officers and city leadership. He highlighted the officers who ran toward danger to stop the gunfire and take a suspect into custody.

“We had some dedicated men and women on that unfortunate night that answered the call and ran towards the sound of gunfire,” Sayles said.

Sayles said one of the biggest lessons from that incident is the need to give the public accurate information quickly when major events unfold. Since then, he said SPD’s public information officers have been working more closely with the mayor’s office to improve coordination.

“We are working on, as a city, to make sure when this happens again that we are prepared to give the information accurately and in a timely manner,” Sayles said.

He was careful not to publicly second‑guess decisions made before he became interim chief, including the response to the shooting and the fallout that led to the previous chief’s resignation.

“I think it would be unfair for me to say what I would have done differently because I wasn’t in that moment at that time,” he said. “My focus is on using those events as training and tabletop exercises to prepare for future incidents.”

On the outgoing chief

Sayles called outgoing Chief Shon Barnes a friend, both personally and professionally. The two first met in 2021 when they were both police chiefs in Wisconsin.

He declined to say whether he agreed with Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s call for Barnes’ resignation, stressing that it was her decision and his role now is to move the department forward.

“That is not for me to make that call. I’m here to serve as the interim chief and to continue the positive trajectory that we have as a police department,” Sayles said.

Crime in Seattle and the threat of gun violence

Sayles acknowledged that many people see Seattle’s crime problem as “daunting,” especially when it comes to gun violence, but he pushed back on the idea that the city is uniquely unsafe.

“When you look at daunting and having a view nationally, we’re on par or less than some of our comparable cities,” he said.

Still, he was clear that any level of gun violence is unacceptable.

“Crime is a problem. I think one shooting is too much,” Sayles said.

He noted that incidents like the Seattle Center shooting and other shootings nationwide reflect a broader reality, not just a Seattle issue.

“I think that’s the reality in this world, not just Seattle,” he said, pointing to another recent shooting at an In‑N‑Out Burger in Idaho as an example of a nationwide problem with similar violence. Sayles said his plan centers on being proactive: focusing on youth, engaging neighborhoods most affected by crime, and building stronger relationships with residents.

Partnership with the mayor

Despite the turmoil surrounding the leadership change, Sayles said his early interactions with Wilson have built trust. He compared the situation to starting at a new high school, where people might warn you who to avoid, but he believes in forming his own opinions.

“I think we all owe it to ourselves to make our own judgments of people,” Sayles said.

Sayles has met with the mayor three times in his first week as interim chief.

“In this week that I’ve been able to talk to Mayor Wilson, I haven’t found any ways of or any situation to where I can’t trust her,” Sayles said. “In this week, the three times I met with Mayor Wilson, I have trust in what she wants me to push forward, and that is public safety.”

According to Sayles, the mayor has encouraged him to lean into his own style.

“She told me to continue to be who I am as an open person and an authentic person, and that’s how I’m going to move forward,” he said.

Leadership style and background

Sayles, 46, brings more than four years of experience as a chief and decades in law enforcement. He described himself as humble, authentic, and grounded in the lessons he learned early in life and in his career. He talked openly about a period early in his career when, by his own admission, he lost sight of who he wanted to be as an officer.

“There was a moment in my career where I forgot where I came from and I forgot who I was, and I didn’t treat people the greatest,” he said, describing a roughly five‑month stretch during his first year on the job. “Then, I was like, ‘What are you doing?’”

He said that realization changed how he polices, leading him to focus on fairness and recognizing that most people encounter officers on one of the worst days of their lives.

Sayles’ background includes work on a SWAT team, creating a community relations team, a recruitment team, and co‑founding “Kicking for a Fresh Start,” a kickball fundraiser for kids in alternative schools in Wisconsin. He’s also served on multiple community boards and taught criminal justice at the college level.

Sayles also spent significant time in deep cover work, which he said gave him a deeper understanding of both offenders and the vulnerable people they target — from juveniles to women forced into sex work and older adults.

“These individuals that are quote unquote criminals, understanding that they’re humans too, and not treating them badly,” he said, adding that some people he’s arrested have later thanked him “for treating me like a human being.”

Priorities as interim chief

Asked what’s at the top of his priority list, Sayles doesn’t hesitate:

“Taking care of the men and women of this department, sworn and professional, then also taking care of our community and moving forward together,” he said.

Sayles said morale in the department is good, and he wants to support both sworn officers and professional staff.

On his future, Sayles said he hasn’t yet decided whether to seek the permanent chief job. The past week, he said, has been too hectic for that conversation, even within his own family.

“I haven’t had a chance to sit back and say would I want this position, but I will say this: I want to remain here at the Seattle Police Department,” he said.

For now, he said he’s committed to the position that brought him to Seattle, Deputy Chief, while serving as interim chief and continuing the “positive trajectory” he sees in the department.

Message to the public

Sayles returned several times to the idea that the police cannot tackle crime alone, especially when it comes to gun violence. He urged residents to speak up and share both what they see and what they expect from SPD.

“We’re not saying do the work, but when you see something, say something,” he said.

He added that clear communication has to go both ways.

“Unspoken expectations can never be met,” Sayles said. “So the expectations that they have of us, please let us know. And guess what? We’re going to give you our expectations as community members.”

His closing message to Seattle focused on unity and mutual respect, even when people disagree.

“Let’s grow together. Let’s be together, and let’s understand and respect each other,” Sayles said. “If we can take 1% from each of us, we can grow together and continue to do the positive work that we need to do for the city.”

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