By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Under the auspices of legal allegations, Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz has stepped aside as the leader of the Seattle Police Department. Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell, flanked by Chief Diaz and former King County Sheriff Sue Rahr, announced that Diaz will be stepping down and Rahr will serve as interim chief.
“I believe in Chief Diaz,” says Harrell. “He is extremely talented. He inherited a culture where a lot of the allegations predate him. We believe this is the right thing to do.”
According to Harrell, Rahr—who has a storied history of leadership in modern policing, culture change, and recruitment—does not want the job permanently but is committed to helping lead the recruitment process of finding a new chief and the recruitment of new officers to SPD, particularly as it relates to the recruitment of women and diverse populations.
“I want lots of people,” says Rahr regarding recruitment. “We need lots of diversity. We need diversity of experience. The Seattle Police Department, if I can do it, is going to be the top recruiter for female recruits. This is going to be the place people want to come to work. I’m confident of that.”
Under the direction of Rahr, SPD will now begin the process of searching for a new chief, as well as begin what Harrell describes as a “culture change.” However, the mayor has not ruled out the notion of looking outside of the inner circle of SPD for potential candidates for the top post in the department.
“Culture change is very hard,” says Harrell. “I’m intentionally looking outside of the department. I am very proud of our Seattle Police Department. They make me proud as a mayor.”
“This is how you get better,” added Harrell. “I’m very confident, and I feel pretty excited about the future for us.”
Over the last few months, four female employees have stepped forward, accusing Diaz and his top lieutenant, John O’Neill, of patterns of harassment, a hostile work environment, and discrimination. These allegations have led to a $5 million lawsuit filed against the city.
According to Harrell, “I hired an independent investigator to review the claims made against Diaz and O’Neill.”
Diaz was hired as interim chief in September 2020 after Carmen Best resigned amid blowback over her handling of protests and her opposition to the city cutting her budget. When Harrell was elected mayor, he appointed Diaz, who was sworn in on January 12, 2023.
As SPD continues to struggle with allegations of sexual harassment and racial discrimination, they must also deal with staffing issues. Despite the Seattle City Council approval of hiring bonuses and incentives for officers at all levels, the department has seen the departure of 345 officers.
When asked about how the change in leadership will impact the Central District and South Seattle, where the largest percentage of Black and Brown people in the city reside, Rahr responded by acknowledging that change and progress does not happen overnight but does take a concerted effort by all parties to make things better.
“I’ll be honest with you, I have concerns about the culture of all police departments,” says Rahr. “I think we are all trying to do better. I think it’s a natural thing that happens when you have a profession dominated by one gender for half a century, three-quarters of a century. And making those transitions is really hard. I don’t think the Seattle Police Department is worse or better than others; I think that we have work to do in every department.”
“I think the Seattle Police Department is open to doing something meaningful and implementing systemic change,” continued Rahr. “But until we change the system, we are not going to have meaningful change. And that was one of the things that drew me to this opportunity, to actually do something that’s going to matter.”