Anonymous letter says police watchdogs ignored complaints against former police chief

Soundside

A few months ago, Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz was demoted following numerous HR complaints – and legal filings – during his time at the helm of the SPD. Those complaints include claims of discriminatory behavior by Diaz toward women and people of color. There were also rumors of a relationship with an employee.

Diaz has denied those allegations, but in May, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced that Diaz would no longer lead the department and appointed former-King County Sheriff Sue Rahr to replace him as interim police chief.

But in a recent unsigned letter sent to the Seattle City Council, a whistleblower has alleged that the department’s issues could continue even after Diaz -- because the agency tasked with holding SPD accountable hasn’t been doing its job.

KUOW’s Ashley Hiruko has been reporting on all of these developments and joined Soundside to discuss a letter confirmed to be written by a whistleblower within the Office of Police Accountability.

Guests:

• Ashley Hiruko, KUOW investigative reporter

Recommended Links:

• KUOW - Seattle Police watchdog heads ignored complaints against former Chief Adrian Diaz: letter to council
• KUOW - Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz is being dismissed
• KUOW - Interim SPD Chief talks SPD culture, school safety, and whether to bring officers back to campuses

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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1. Soundside_20240717_Ashley-Hiruko-OPA (00:00:00)