Seattle’s embattled police chief has been removed from his position, Mayor Bruce Harrell said Wednesday, just days after a deputy police chief was placed on leave and amid lawsuits filed by at least six police officers alleging discrimination against women and people of color.
Harrell said Chief Adrian Diaz was replaced on an interim basis by Sue Rahr, a former sheriff of King County, where Seattle is located. Rahr most recently led the state’s police academy. She will not be considered a permanent replacement, Harrell said, and Diaz will be reassigned to “special assignments.”
At a news conference Wednesday to make the announcement, Harrell praised Diaz as a friend with “impeccable integrity.”
“We’re now looking at the internal culture, of course, within the police department,” Harrell said. “We are trying to create a department that is representative of who we are at our best.”
He also said Diaz realized the type of culture change the department wanted could be better achieved with his departure.
Harrell said recent allegations of discrimination, harassment and bias led him to appoint an independent investigator to look into the allegations.
Last week, Eric Greening, a 30-year veteran of the force, sued Diaz, alleging he retaliated against him after he exposed discriminatory practices within the department. Greening’s lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, also names the city as a defendant. Greening alleges that Diaz rejected his application for deputy chief and his application to become deputy chief, demoted him to captain and abolished the Collaborative Policing Bureau, which he headed.
In response to the complaint, Diaz’s attorney said in a statement before his firing: “Chief Diaz is confident that an objective review of the circumstances underlying Mr. Greening’s allegations will show that the department’s actions were appropriate . »
Last month, four female police officers filed a $5 million tort suit, alleging that they had been and are victims of gender discrimination, sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. The complaint was filed against the city and its police department on behalf of Kame Spencer, Judinna (Jean) Gulpan, Valerie Carson and Lauren Truscott on April 25. It lists Diaz, Lt. John O’Neil and human resources manager Rebecca McKechnie as “primary authors.” »
Police said they do not comment on pending litigation. The city attorney’s office said it does not comment on pending claims or litigation. O’Neil and McKechnie did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“As a Hispanic American with decades of experience in law enforcement, Chief Diaz has faced significant discrimination throughout his career,” said Diaz’s attorney, Ted Buck, in a statement last month. “He understands the negative impact this can have, both personally and professionally. »
Based on that experience, Buck said, Diaz faced discrimination head-on as chief and is proud of the department’s record in combating inherent racism and sexism during his tenure.
The city has 60 days to respond to the tort complaint filed by the four officers.
Sumeer Singla, the lawyer for the four women, said in an interview Thursday that Diaz’s firing further legitimizes their claim. Singla said the day after filing the complaint, the police insinuated in a statement that his clients were liars who had individual grievances that were making headlines.
“Thirty days later, the police chief is reassigned,” he said. “It’s hard not to think that the mayor’s actions add legitimacy to my clients’ demands.”
Singla added, “This department has not been repaired or healed from the ills brought upon it during the consent decree,” referring to a federal consent decree Seattle was put under in 2012 after police shot John Williams in 2010. The judge ended most of the provisions of the consent decree last year.
The city also faces a lawsuit from Denise “Cookie” Bouldin, one of the first African-American women to join the department in the 1970s. She alleges in a complaint filed in November that she witnessed and endured decades of racist treatment and gender bias from his superiors and other officers.
“She files this claim for damages in the hope that the Department will authentically address issues related to racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination that she faced during her career,” her lawsuit states. The suit does not refer to Diaz.
Another woman, Deanna Nollette, a 27-year veteran of the force who rose to the rank of deputy chief in 2018, sued Diaz and the police department in January, alleging discrimination based on gender, salary and job. Nollette’s lawsuit says she was deputy chief of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation last year. It alleges that Diaz “is demeaning to women in the police force” and “has a history of misogyny.” The suit says she had applied for the chief position, which Diaz had held on an interim basis, and that when he was named chief, he demoted her to captain.
Diaz’s lawyer said his client “was disappointed that a routine staff decision led to these blatantly false allegations” and that the facts would demonstrate that the allegations were completely unfounded.
At Wednesday’s news conference, Diaz fought back tears as he read a brief statement.
“I have accomplished so much in my four years as chief, but there is still much to do,” he said.
Diaz’s firing follows last week’s announcement that Deputy Chief Tyrone Davis had been placed on administrative leave.
A representative for the Office of Police Accountability, an independent, civilian-run agency, confirmed Thursday that it received a complaint against Davis on May 8 and subsequently opened an investigation. An agency representative said he could not comment further. Davis commands the department’s Office of Special Operations, which includes its SWAT team. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Diaz took over as interim director in 2020 after Carmen Best resigned following a summer of protests following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the City Council approved downsizing the department. He was appointed head of the department in 2022.
Harrell said he was intentionally looking outside the department for the next chief “to maybe tap into some of the talent in other cities.”
He said he hopes to hire a new chef within six months.
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