SEATTLE — A nationwide search for the next Seattle police chief is underway after former chief Adrian Diaz was reassigned from his position earlier this week.
Former King County Sheriff Sue Rahr will fill in as interim chief while the hiring process is ongoing but advised that she would not be applying for the permanent job.
Rahr will help identify a list of qualified semi-finalist candidates with the help of former Seattle Police Department Chief Kathleen O'Toole, according to Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell's office. Those candidates will then be shared with a public committee appointed by the mayor.
That committee will recommend a group of finalists to the mayor, who will administer a "competitive examination required by the City Charter," according to Harrell's office.
Harrell provided an optimistic timeline of four to six months to select a new chief. Former King County Sheriff John Urquhart expressed skepticism in that timeline on KING 5 News Thursday morning, saying he expects by this time next year Rahr will still be serving in the interim position.
Diaz himself was interim chief for over two years after former Chief Carmen Best retired in 2020.
Diaz was removed from his position as head of the department after several current employees filed lawsuits against him and SPD, alleging gender and racial discrimination and retaliation for reporting their concerns.
In a release, Harrell applauded the work Diaz has done at the department in facing the city's public safety challenges but said it became apparent there needed to be a shakeup in department leadership.
"Our ongoing drive to improve department culture has revealed the need to make changes to keep this work moving forward," Harrell said. "And Seattleites deserve a department that reflects them and their values."
The department is currently focusing on recruitment, particularly of women, as the number of Seattle police officers has fallen to a 30-year low. Rahr is recognized as a subject matter expert in the initiative to see women comprise 30% of police recruits by 2030, according to Harrell's office.