Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced Wednesday that the city’s embattled police chief had been fired, just days after the city’s deputy chief was placed on administrative leave and at least six officers filed a lawsuit alleging discrimination against women and people of color.
Harrell said he had appointed former King County sheriff Sue Lahr, who most recently served as director of the state’s police academy, to replace Adrian Diaz on an interim basis. He said Lahr would not be considered a permanent replacement and that Diaz would be reassigned to “special assignment.”
During a news conference on Wednesday, Harrell praised Diaz as a friend with “impeccable integrity.”
“Obviously, we’re looking at the internal culture of the police department right now,” Harrell said. “We’re trying to create a department that represents the best version of who we are.”
He also said Diaz recognized that the kind of cultural change the department wanted could be better achieved with him stepping down.
Harrell said that following the recent allegations of discrimination, harassment and bias, he has appointed an independent investigator to review the allegations.
Last week, Eric Greening, a 30-year veteran of the police department, sued Diaz, alleging he retaliated against him after Diaz reported 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 reapplication for deputy chief, demoted him to inspector and eliminated the Collaborative Police Bureau he led.
In response to the lawsuit, Diaz’s lawyers said in a statement before his firing, “Chief Diaz is confident that an objective review of the circumstances behind Ms. Greening’s allegations will find that the Department’s actions were appropriate.”
Last month, four female officers filed a lawsuit seeking $5 million in damages, alleging they were subjected to gender discrimination, sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. The lawsuit was filed on April 25 against the city and its police department on behalf of Keim Spencer, Judina (Jean) Galpin, Valerie Carson and Lauren Truscott. The lawsuit names Diaz, Lt. John O’Neill and Human Resources Director Rebecca McKenney as “principal aggressors.”
The Police Department said it does not comment on pending litigation, and the City Attorney’s Office said it does not comment on pending allegations or litigation. O’Neill and McEnany 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,” Diaz’s attorney, Ted Buck, said in a statement last month. “The Chief understands the negative impact it has had both personally and professionally.”
Based on his experience, Buck said Diaz has confronted discrimination head-on as chief and is proud of the department’s track record of addressing and overcoming deep-rooted racism and sexism during his tenure.
The city has 60 days to respond to the misconduct claims brought by the four officers.
The four women’s lawyer, Sumeer Singla, said in an interview Thursday that the non-prosecution of Diaz further validated their claims. Mr. Singla said that the day after the lawsuit was filed, police issued a statement implying that his clients were liars and had personal grievances that were garnering headlines.
“Thirty days later, the police chief was transferred,” he said. “I can’t help but feel that the mayor’s actions lend legitimacy to my client’s claims.”
“The department has not been repaired or restored from the harms alleged in the consent decree,” Singla added, referring to a federal consent decree entered into with Seattle in 2012 after police shot and killed John Williams in 2010. A federal judge last year struck down most of the consent decree’s provisions.
The city also faces a lawsuit from Denise “Cookie” Bouldin, one of the first African-American women to join the police department in the 1970s, who claims in a lawsuit filed in November that she witnessed and endured racist and sexist treatment from superiors and other officers for decades.
“She filed her claim for damages in the hope that the police department will seriously address the issues related to racism, sexism and other discrimination she faced while on the job,” her lawsuit said. The suit does not mention Diaz.
Another woman, Deanna Nolette, a 27-year veteran of the police force who was promoted to deputy chief in 2018, filed a lawsuit against Diaz and the department in January for gender, pay and job discrimination. According to Nolette’s complaint, she was deputy chief of the Criminal Investigations Bureau last year. She claims Diaz is “demeaning to women in the department” and has a “history of misogyny.” She applied for the chief position, but Diaz was serving as interim chief and was demoted to chief when he was named chief, according to the complaint.
Diaz’s lawyers said their client was “disappointed that routine personnel decisions led to these clearly false allegations” and that the facts would show the allegations to be completely without merit.
During a news conference on Wednesday, Diaz fought back tears as he read a short statement.
“I’ve accomplished a lot in my four years as chief, but there’s more work to be done,” he said.
Diaz’s firing comes following the announcement last week that Deputy Chief Tyrone Davis had been placed on administrative leave.
A representative for the Police Accountability Office, an independent, civilian-run agency, confirmed Thursday that it received a complaint about Davis on May 8 and subsequently launched an investigation. A representative for the office said he could not comment further. Davis heads the police department’s Special Operations Bureau, which includes the SWAT team. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Diaz became interim chief in 2020 after Carmen Best resigned and the City Council approved downsizing of the police department following a summer of protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. He was named chief in 2022.
Harrell said he is purposefully searching outside the department for the next chief to “leverage talent from other cities.”
He said he hopes to hire a new chief within six months.
