‘Toxic culture.’ Seattle council members call on police chief to take action after latest embarrassment to department

The Seattle Police Department is in the spotlight again as city council members call on Chief Adrian Diaz to take action after an officer was reportedly caught on a recording using abusive and racist language against an Asian-American neighbor.

The recording, reported on by The Stranger, comes 11 days after a video of another officer was released, showing him laughing about the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, a graduate student from India who was killed by a police cruiser.

"How can SPD expect the public to trust them while it remains silent as these incidents happen?” Councilmember Tammy Morales wrote in a news release. “What does SPD leadership plan to do to regain control of the department, address its toxic culture, and rebuild this complete breaking of trust?"

Said Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda on X (formerly Twitter), “This is the result of a culture which supports abuse of power with impunity.”

These are the latest reports in a string of embarrassments to the police department this summer. Earlier this month, KUOW published several investigations about a rumor that Diaz allegedly hired a romantic partner to be his chief of staff. The Seattle Times reported that a break room in the East Precinct featured a large Trump flag and a fake tombstone of a young man shot and killed by police.

The latest call for action comes from Councilmember Lisa Herbold, chair of the Public Safety and Human Services Committee.

“This act of anti-Asian hate from a Seattle officer is disgusting and undermines the Seattle Police Department’s ability to provide basic public safety," Herbold said in a statement Saturday. "How can our APIDA communities feel safe calling the police?"

Herbold said she agrees with calls made by the Seattle Community Police Commission and other council members for Diaz to target racism within the department.

Said Morales, "No other city employee would be excused from this behavior, where they can laugh and joke about killing somebody, spit racist slurs, and continue taking home a six-figure paycheck."

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Citing reporting by The Stranger, Morales said Hill has had four complaints of bias policing while with Seattle Police. She is demanding a "plan of action" from the Seattle Police Department in response to the news coverage.

Police Chief Diaz issued his own response to the news Friday, confirming that a bias/hate complaint has been sent to the Office of Police Accountability. Diaz said he has placed Officer Hill on administrative leave.

"Racist language is completely unacceptable and is inconsistent with the high standards the department sets for its employees," Diaz said in a statement.

Diaz said he hadn’t known about the incident for a year, which, he said, “causes me concern.”

"I have instructed my staff to review this officer’s arrest and investigation history."

Diaz apologized to the neighbor and the community for the incident, and added that there is "more work to do to build trust between the department and the people we serve.”