Seattle police chief terminated after inspector general report supports misconduct allegations

SEATTLE, WA— Seattle, Washington’s chief of police Adrian Diaz was terminated from his role on Tuesday after findings of an investigative report released by the Office of the Inspector General substantiated allegations that he was involved in a romantic relationship with an employee under his command and then attempted to cover it up. The report also detailed that Diaz appeared to have appointed the employee to “a position that did not exist at the time and had not formally existed for quite some time.”

According to King 5 News, the employee Diaz was allegedly having an affair with was identified as Jamie Tompkins, the agency's former Director of Communications. Both have denied they were having a relationship.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell confirmed the investigation's findings in a letter to the City Council explaining his decision to terminate Diaz.

In a statement published by the outlet Harrell said, “Based on the findings from the Office of Inspector General’s report, I made the decision to remove Adrian Diaz from the Seattle Police Department. While they take time, this is why we do investigations that are robust and thorough and why we use facts to support decisions that are aligned with the values of our city. I want to thank the Office of Inspector General for this comprehensive investigation, and I look forward to announcing our next Police Chief in the near future.”

The letter from Harell to the council summarized the Inspector General’s report stating:
“Diaz acted inconsistently with the Department’s professionalism policy in numerous respects. These include but are not limited to, the information below.

• First and foremost, as detailed in the Report, the Investigator determined that Diaz engaged in an intimate or romantic relationship with Employee #1. Diaz hired Employee #1 into a Command Staff-level position and had her report directly to him. He failed to report this relationship either prior to or during Employee#1’s employment at SPD.
• Second, as detailed in the Report, the Investigator determined that Diaz openly discussed this sexual relationship with subordinate employees. This included crass and extremely personal statements about Employee #1. Making these statements in a work setting is clearly unprofessional and this conduct seven more egregious given that the statements were made by a Chief of Police to subordinate employees while on duty.
• Third, by relaying information concerning his conduct to subordinate employees – most notably, EPU#1 and LT#1 – he put them in an untenable position. As the investigative record indicates, they were aware of his acts and were concerned about whether they could or should report what they knew. They were concerned about their employment status and potential retaliation by Diaz. EPU#2 was put in a similar position when he found the letter/card to Diaz from Employee #1.
• These employees’ fears were noted in their OIG interviews, during which they appeared “nervous and scared” and expressed concerns about retaliation. As a department leader and Chief, he should never have placed them in that predicament.
•  Fourth, using his position as Chief, Diaz obtained confidential information on pending EEO investigations and then relayed that information to subordinate staff. He did so in a manner that made these staff members feel intimidated and believe that they could be at risk of retaliation if they told the truth during investigation interviews.”

Speaking to reporters after the announcement Diaz said, "I proudly dedicated 27 years of service to the City of Seattle. I was deeply saddened and blindsided by Mayor Harrell's decision earlier today to terminate my employment. I strongly disagree with both the decision and the purported reasons behind it. From the start of this investigation, I have been truthful and clear: I never engaged in a romantic or inappropriate relationship with Ms. Tompkins. 
 

BREAKING: Former Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz has officially been terminated by the city. I have obtained an internal email sent out by interim chief Sue Rahr this morning.
Diaz served four years as chief before being removed in May after misconduct allegations.
After… pic.twitter.com/1pQPK1PLSQ

— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) December 17, 2024

According to independent journalist Jonathan Choe, SPD interim Chief Sue Rahr, who has been in the interim role since Diaz stepped down in May, confirmed the ex-Chief’s termination in an email to the whole department on Tuesday.