SEATTLE — Seattle’s newly appointed Police Chief, Shon Barnes, says he will do whatever it takes to protect the First Amendment rights of residents.
The comments were made during a Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee meeting this week.
He also spoke about how the department will handle protests in response to immigration enforcement by the federal government.
“At some point, I will probably go to jail and be in prison because we have an administration that has threatened to jail politicians,” Barnes said.
The comments were made the same day that protesters gathered outside the city’s federal building and clashed with officers.
The safety committee meeting appearance was part of Barnes’ confirmation as police chief.
He was appointed to the position in December by Mayor Bruce Harrell and was sworn in in January. He came from Wisconsin, where he served as Chief of Police for over 4 years.
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