Find Posts By Topic

John Diaz confirmed as new Chief of Police

The following text is from an email distributed to all Seattle Police Department employees following the City Council confirmation of John Diaz as the new Chief of Police.

Today, City Council has voted 8-0 in favor of confirming my candidacy as police chief.

This has been a long, arduous process.  I am grateful to the search committee for their time and commitment in narrowing the field of exceptional candidates, the Mayor for his trust and confidence in me and all of the citizens along the way who took the time to share their thoughts about what they want from their new police chief.

Most of all, I want to thank you, the men and women of the Seattle Police Department.  You are the ones that patrol the streets, investigate crimes and support the operation and mission of this department.  You are the ones who make this city safe.  You are the ones that build peace within our communities.  Your work has made the appointment of an internal Police Chief possible.

Policing is truly a higher calling.  This is not a career path that people take lightly, nor is it a job that people leave on Friday and resume on Monday.  It is something much more than that.  We have chosen to enter this honorable profession because of our commitment to service, personal courage and integrity.  Policing isn’t for everyone.  While I am deeply honored to have been chosen to lead our department, any individual, from the newest recruit to a member of the Executive Staff, could be selected as the next police chief.

Collectively, we have a lot of work ahead of us.  We must strive to fight crime by successfully responding to and investigating it.  We must continue to reduce fear through increased presence in neighborhoods and community partnerships.  We must build and strengthen relationships through the countless positive citizen contacts we have with the people whom we serve.

I look forward to facing these challenges with you. 

Thank you all for the work you do, each and every day.

John Diaz,

Chief of Police