A look at Seattle's frequent turnover of police chiefs

A look at the City’s frequent turnover of mayors, police chiefs

As the dust begins to settle from the bombshell announcement of Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz’s reassignment, political observers are starting to examine the road ahead.

SEATTLE - As the dust begins to settle from the bombshell announcement of Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz’s reassignment, political observers are starting to examine the road ahead.

Historically, the department has struggled to maintain a chief for more than a few years, with Diaz being the seventh chief since 2000. However, it's not the only city institution caught in the revolving door– the last Seattle mayor to win reelection was Greg Nickels in 2005, 19 years ago.

Mayor Bruce Harrell acknowledged the issue at a Wednesday press conference.

"If you look at many cities, they struggle with strong leadership at the top," he said.

Political consultant, Sandeep Kaushik, points out Seattle has had a string of single-term mayors: Jenny Durkan, Ed Murray, Mike McGinn.

"It’s a very important relationship for sure. Between the mayor and the police chief," noted Kaushik.

Kaushik recalled the short-lived tenure of Diaz's predecessor, Carmen Best, who was appointed by one-term mayor Jenny Durkan.

"Chief Best went through a very, very tumultuous time," Kaushik noted, referencing the challenges of COVID-19, the CHAZ/CHOP protest, and the Black Lives Matter movement. "There was certainly controversy and turmoil and bad relationships," Kaushik added.

Kaushik believes the radical ideas popular during Best’s time eroded progress made under former Chief Kathleen O’Toole, who is now an advisor to interim Chief Sue Rahr.

"I do think there was a period in Seattle about 8-10 years ago when things seemed to be moving in a much better direction," he said. "We saw a lot of reforms happening within the police department with its culture, use of force, with reductions in biased policing. That all seems to have fallen apart."

Kaushik pointed out that the issue extends beyond just the mayor and police chief. Other regional institutions, like the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, have also experienced frequent leadership changes, with four different heads in three years.

"We just saw the head of Sound Transit get pushed out after a very short tenure," he said.