VIDEO: Adrian Diaz appointed by mayor as permanent Seattle Police Chief

1:08 PM: Mayor Harrell is speaking at City Hall and just announced that Adrian Diaz will become the permanent chief of SPD. He was one of three finalists for the job, as announced two weeks ago, and has been interim chief for two years. … Crime and gun violence, accountability, department culture, safe neighborhoods are what Harrell says he wants Chief Diaz to focus on. More to come.

1:25 PM: The mayor says he admires Diaz’s “tenacity” and that he believes he’d be “the strongest, most effective leader.” Diaz said he’s committed to “restore safety citywide.” He also promised “reconciliation” on many levels. Here’s the official city announcement, which notes that City Council confirmation is required for the appointment to be finalized. … Senior Deputy Mayor Monisha Harrell added in Q&A that another major plus for Diaz was that despite knowing that the job he’s had for the past two years was not necessarily permanent, he “came in to make change.” He says those changes have included reducing officers’ use of force by almost half. … In response to another question, Diaz talked about changes in how they’re recruiting, which have resulted in a more diverse group of new hires – almost 50 percent POC. He said they have increased resources for recruiting and outreach, too.

1:48 PM: The announcement event is over. We’ll add the video above when it’s available. (2:57 pm update – video added above.)

28 Replies to "VIDEO: Adrian Diaz appointed by mayor as permanent Seattle Police Chief"

  • Anne September 20, 2022 (1:58 pm)

    Hoping for better- not a surprise though. Diaz is a known quantity that tows the line. Heaven forbid we we hire a Chief of Police with any vision other than what City Government touts.

    • Al King September 20, 2022 (4:38 pm)

      Anne. Sooo what you wanted is a chief that when the politicians said yes chief said no when they said no the chief said yes when they said up chief said down etc etc etc?????? Still waiting for the haters to actually provide a name of someone that would be the “magic” answer.

      • AMD September 20, 2022 (6:02 pm)

        I want a chief that believes that SPD needs to follow the law too, and not someone who thinks it’s fine to cover for the former mayor and former chief when they deleted 8 months’ worth of texts (among other shady things).  If the cops want a better relationship with Seattle citizens, maybe they should try giving us reasons to trust them.  

  • Rhonda September 20, 2022 (2:08 pm)

    The best choice out of three terrible candidates.

    • Anne September 20, 2022 (3:11 pm)

      Uh -no.

      • Rhonda September 20, 2022 (3:58 pm)

        A record number of officers have fled under his watch, crime is up in every category, he’s thrown good officers under the bus, and his predecessor was better than him in EVERY way.

        • SR September 20, 2022 (6:15 pm)

          Agreed. 

        • Ice September 20, 2022 (6:59 pm)

          I’m not defending this new guy, but you realize that crime is up across the entire US right? Blaming a national trend on one local cop is either disingenuous or ignorant. 

        • Peter S. September 20, 2022 (7:13 pm)

          @Rhonda:  First of all, thank you for your service as LEO, which you claim to be.  I have no reason to doubt you.   Follow-up to my question for you last week, same topic. when you said “Anyone but Diaz”. 

          Thanks for answering the why.  However, in the spirit of not throwing anyone under the bus, including Diaz, please tell us why it’s Diaz’ fault that crime is up.  Please tell us why record number of cops are leaving due to his command.  Please tell us why Chief Best was better.  I remember some pretty chaotic times (Alki, CHOP/CHAZ, etc.) during her watch.  Please provide examples of “good cops” he threw under the bus.   I would honestly like to know why he isn’t worthy of this position. 

  • James September 20, 2022 (2:36 pm)

    A lot of “copaganda” in this press conference. And it’s insane that nepotism is allowed from the mayor to the deputy mayor position!

    • M September 20, 2022 (3:27 pm)

      Don’t know if you are woke, were there any better candidates that were overlooked?

    • Al King September 20, 2022 (6:56 pm)

      James. Describe “cop agenda” and give us the names of any business or public/private group that has NO “agenda” And give us the names of any business/group where nepotism does not exist.

      • K September 20, 2022 (7:57 pm)

        Is James your personal assistant? 

        • Al King September 20, 2022 (8:32 pm)

          K. No, he isn’t. But if he’s making a claim he’s got facts to back them up, don’t you think he should share them?

      • WestSeattleBadTakes September 20, 2022 (8:23 pm)

        So many words to say nothing.

  • M September 20, 2022 (2:37 pm)

    Please fix this manifestation of the progressive agenda.  More accountability please! 

    • Jeff September 21, 2022 (11:16 am)

      Can we start with racist officers being fired? How about the ones at January 6?

  • Good Neighbor September 20, 2022 (2:53 pm)

    The bridge is open and you can just feel the police accountability flooding back into our streets.

    • M September 20, 2022 (3:29 pm)

      Sarcasm right?  Genuinely unsure

    • Rhonda September 20, 2022 (5:38 pm)

      What about accountability for the repeat criminals who require us to need police?

      • AMD September 20, 2022 (6:31 pm)

        Statistically, police commit more crimes than they arrest people for, so I think holding them accountable comes first.

        • Mos September 20, 2022 (6:54 pm)

          Uh … what?

        • Peter S. September 20, 2022 (7:01 pm)

          Ummm….  That, I find really hard to believe.  *CREDIBLE* source(s) please?  (Not just some random, biased site you found on the Internet.)  Totally agree that law enforcement officers should be held accountable.  So should prosecutors.  So should judges.  So should convicted criminals.   

        • Jeepney September 20, 2022 (7:29 pm)

          Please provide proven statistics to validate your claim.

          • Al King September 20, 2022 (8:29 pm)

            Jeepney. AMD has no statistics. Just an opportunity to throw police under the bus.

      • Ice September 20, 2022 (7:02 pm)

        Read about recidivism. The smart cops know that they prevent crime just by being on the street watching what is going on, not by throwing people in jail. Putting people in jail might fix a problem in the short term, and satiate someone’s need for a criminal to suffer, but it just creates more criminals in the long run.

  • Mike September 20, 2022 (6:29 pm)

    Good choice.  

  • Kadoo September 21, 2022 (7:20 am)

    I agree. Happy with the choice. 

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