SEATTLE — Former Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz is speaking out against allegations of misconduct against him involving several female staff members with the Seattle Police Department (SPD).
Diaz is facing lawsuits from at least seven employees who have alleged racial and gender discrimination within the department, along with a female officer alleging she has dealt with sexual harassment from Diaz.
In an interview on “The Jason Rantz Show,” Diaz denied those claims and he also publicly came out as gay.
"I haven't had the opportunity to just tell my story,” he said in an interview on Monday. “It's a story that [I’ve] struggled with over the last four years, that I'm a gay Latino man."
KING 5 has reached out to Diaz for comment and requested an interview.
Diaz, who began working for SPD in 1997, is married with three kids and said he has been living for years in a level of secrecy, trying to find the right time to come out.
He said there was never a good time to make his announcement due to the onset of the pandemic and its impacts, social justice movements, changes in SPD leadership and now, a flurry of allegations against him and other SPD leaders.
In a lawsuit filed in April, four female officers said they have dealt with bullying, sexual harassment, and discrimination at the Seattle Police Department. They filed a $5 million claim singling out the alleged actions of Sgt. John O’Neil, Diaz and Human Resources Manager Rebecca McKechnie.
O’Neil and Diaz were accused of engaging in “grooming” and “predatory behavior.” McKechnie is alleged to have engaged in victim blaming when officers came forward with their complaints.
Deanna Nollette, the former assistant chief of the criminal investigations bureau at the SPD, filed a sex and wage discrimination lawsuit in January against Diaz, alleging she was excluded from social events, networking opportunities and training because she is a woman, and retaliated against for applying to the police chief position.
Former Assistant Chief Eric Greening filed a lawsuit against the Seattle Police Department (SPD) and Diaz, alleging the former chief retaliated against him for raising concerns about racism and discrimination within the department.
In the Jason Rantz interview, Diaz referenced a rumor he was having an affair with his department's chief of staff.
“In my head, it’s clear that these aren’t true and no one gave me an opportunity,” Diaz said of the allegations.
When questioned why he decided to come out now, Diaz said he wants to live truthfully.
“I think it addresses a lot of the concerns of what people had,” Diaz said. “Just because you’re a gay man doesn’t mean you can’t be a misogynist, but I know who I am and I know what I’ve done and I know that I’ve been always true to myself and always treated people well and respectfully.”
Diaz said he came out to Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell about four months ago and he was fully supportive.
“I needed that support,” Diaz said, calling Harrell’s support “crucial.”
At a later time, amid what Diaz called a targeted effort of allegations against him, Harrell and Diaz decided together he would step down so as not to “overshadow” the work of the officers.
Diaz was reassigned to special projects with the department at the time but announced in the Monday interview he applied for the police chief position in Austin, Texas.
“I want to make sure people understand who I am," Diaz said. "I want to live my truth. I don’t want to be hidden behind any curtain or anything like that. I want another opportunity to serve a city and it’s not easy when you have some false allegations against you. I don’t want to have any secrets if I decide to go to another city."