Seattle mayor unveils new public safety comms plan amid scrutiny over leadership

The useful part

"I believe that Seattle deserves clear, fast communication during emergencies. We fell short of that during the Bite of Seattle tragedy and we're fixing it," Wilson said in a statement late Tuesday. She also said her office and the police department will brief each other on who is in charge of communications before all major Seattle events.

How it works

• Wilson's statement put the mayor on record as taking action in advance of an Office of Inspector General report expected in November and a City Council Public Safety Committee hearing scheduled for Nov.
• Both the OIG report and the City Council hearing are expected to probe the mayor's role and the police department's in the communications breakdown.
• It's still not clear what role the communications breakdown had in the mayor's demand that former Police Chief Shon Barnes resign.
• Barnes missed the delayed press conference on the night of the shooting because he was out of town in Dallas attending a police conference.
• Wilson had requested the OIG report and had previously acknowledged that she fell short in communicating to the public on July 26.

Details worth keeping

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson's new communications plan for public safety emergencies aims to avoid a repeat of the aftermath of the shooting at the Bite of Seattle food festival, which left the public waiting for almost five hours for detailed information. Wilson said there will be a clear line of communication between her and her police chief during emergencies, and the expectation will be to provide information to the media within one hour of a significant incident when it's safe and possible to do so. "The public should have heard sooner about outstanding suspe...