SEATTLE — Former Seattle police Chief Adrian Diaz is on paid administrative leave, according to Detective Patrick Michaud, a department spokesperson.
The police department would not go into further detail because it's a pending personnel matter.
Diaz was removed from the Seattle Police Department’s top leadership role in May and reassigned to special projects within the department.
At the time, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said he appointed an independent investigator after allegations of misconduct were brought against him and other SPD leaders by several women of the Seattle department.
Diaz faces 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 with "The Jason Rantz Show," he revealed he had applied for a police chief job in Austin, which he was not selected for. In that same interview, Diaz spoke about his sexuality and coming to terms with his identity as a gay Latino man.
In addition to Diaz, Director of Communications Jamie Tompkins is on paid administrative leave, according to the department. There is no known connection with Diaz.
Attorney Sumeer Singla is representing four female officers who are taking legal action against Diaz and other department leaders.
"They have claimed gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation against the Seattle Police Department,” said Singla.
Now that Diaz and Tompkins are on paid administrative leave, Singla is calling for transparency from the Mayor’s Office and interim police chief.
"Adrian Diaz is making approximately $350,000 a year, and while he's on administrative leave, he's still getting paid that amount,” said Singla.
Public records show Tompkins was hired for a chief of staff position that pays more than $160,000 a year.
KING 5 Law Enforcement Analyst John Urquhart, the former King County sheriff, said typically a lot goes into the decision of placing someone on paid administrative leave. It is happening at a department that is in search of a new police chief.
"When you look at SPD in particular in the last 12 years, they have had six different police chiefs,” said Urquhart. "SPD is a good police department. They need stability. They need a police chief that is going to be in there for the long term."
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.