# MissionRT Hires Seattle's Former Police Chief

MissionRT, an Arizona-based law-enforcement technology company, hired former Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes to lead public safety programs and strategy. His work includes engaging police executives and developing implementation strategies for the company’s surveillance systems, drones, and body-worn cameras. No Seattle contract with MissionRT is identified. For procurement teams, the appointment highlights the importance of evaluating both technology capabilities and implementation practices; recent Seattle audits underscore privacy safeguards, clear usage criteria, and accountability as considerations in future law-enforcement technology procurements.

- Agencies evaluating surveillance systems, drones, or body-worn cameras can incorporate privacy safeguards, defined use criteria, and accountability measures into procurement planning.
- MissionRT’s focus on engaging police executives and developing implementation strategies is relevant to agencies assessing vendor support for deployment, not only the equipment itself.
- The hiring does not indicate a Seattle award or solicitation; contractors should not treat it as evidence of a specific procurement opportunity.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Public Safety, Information Technology
**Topics:** Digital Infrastructure
**Published:** October 10, 2026

### Government Entities
- Seattle Police Department (SPD)
- Seattle City Auditor's Office
- Seattle Office of Inspector General for Public Safety

### Vendors
- MissionRT (Supplier of surveillance systems, drones, and body-worn cameras to law-enforcement agencies)
- Axon (Manufacturer of body-worn cameras and digital evidence systems used by the Seattle Police Department)

### Sources
- [Ex-Seattle police Chief Shon Barnes lands job selling law enforcement tech](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/oct/09/ex-seattle-police-chief-shon-barnes-lands-job-sell) - The Spokesman-Review