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Seattle’s next full-time police chief has largely remained up in the air since Carmen Best left the role in September of 2020, with Adrian Diaz having served in the position in an interim capacity ever since. But with new Mayor Bruce Harrell having now taken office, the city could soon get some long-awaited clarity.

SPD Chief Diaz: Seattle’s next mayor ‘needs to support the police department’

Diaz — who became interim chief on Sept. 3, 2020 — has served with the Seattle Police Department for over two decades. He began his career in SPD as a patrol officer, later serving with the Bike Unit, as an undercover officer, and then a member of the investigations unit before becoming deputy chief under Best. Prior to that, he was also the assistant chief for the Collaborative Policing Bureau.

When previous Mayor Jenny Durkan appointed him to be SPD’s interim chief, she intimated at the time that she wouldn’t begin a search for a new permanent chief for the remainder of 2021, citing the uncertainty surrounding what the department might look like in the future amid ongoing budget discussions with city council.

As Harrell begins to implement his vision for Seattle’s various departments, the door has been left open for Diaz to drop the “interim” from his title once and for all.

“I believe that I have to give everyone an opportunity to show some brilliance, show some talent,” Harrell said as part of with the media. “We’re having discussions right now — he does not know what it looks like to work for a mayor like me, I have to give him that opportunity.”

SPD interim chief: ‘We are a safe city’ despite concerns over police staffing

Harrell went on to note that his office will be “making some decisions here in the first quarter” on whether to stick with Diaz long-term, or conduct a national search for Seattle’s next police chief.

The last search for a new police chief in Seattle took place in 2018 after then-chief Katherine O’Toole stepped down, ultimately ending in Best’s appointment. The selection came after a controversial process, which saw Best left off the initial list of three finalists chosen by a 25-member search committee.