Three finalists will participate in a televised candidate question and answer session on September 15 to answer community questions
Seattle – Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the three finalists for the next permanent Chief of the Seattle Police Department: Interim Seattle Chief of Police Adrian Diaz, Seattle Assistant Chief of Police Eric Greening, and Tucson Assistant Chief of Police Kevin Hall. Read more about the final candidates under consideration below.
“Our nationwide search process has put community voices at the center to understand what values and priorities Seattle residents want to see in the next police chief,” said Mayor Harrell. “This comprehensive process now brings us three highly qualified candidates, each with the requisite resume, skills, and value set to elevate our One Seattle vision for a city where every resident has a right to feel safe. Our search committee and assessors have advanced candidates with our community’s expectations at the forefront – accountability, community-centered leadership, and innovation. I look forward to meeting with and evaluating these candidates.”
The City’s Charter sets specific requirements around the hiring of a permanent police chief. To meet core Charter responsibilities, a competitive examination must be held to identify the three finalists from which the mayor will select the next chief. This position also requires City Council confirmation.
The search process for a permanent chief of police began in April with the hiring of an independent third-party firm to assist in identifying candidates nationwide for the position. Mayor Harrell then created a search committee made up of 14 community leaders, law enforcement experts, victim advocates, and others to determine the candidates that would proceed to the examination phase.
Community engagement and feedback has been essential to informing the search process. A public survey was made available in seven languages in May to garner feedback from community. Over 1,300 residents responded to the survey, and the results are available here.
Additionally, seven community conversations were held in July and August to allow the public to make their voices heard in the search process. The community conversations in July were facilitated by the Empower Initiative were focused conversations with faith, business, immigrant, and youth communities. An evaluation report of the conversations from the Empower Initiative are available here.
The August community conversations were co-sponsored with equity-focused groups. Summary notes from the August 10 and August 11 meetings are available.
Fifteen candidates applied for the Chief position. After conducting interviews, the search committee narrowed this group down to a select number who proceeded to the competitive examination.
On September 6 and September 7, the charter-required competitive examination was administered by four public safety experts. The three finalists were unanimously selected to be advanced to the Mayor’s Office for consideration.
The candidates will now engage in a series of stakeholder interviews, which will culminate in a candidate question and answer session on the evening of September 15. The event will be televised on the Seattle Channel. Community members can submit questions for the candidates to address here.
Adrian Diaz
Chief Adrian Diaz has been a dedicated member of the Seattle Police Department for more than two decades. His work building relationships that bridge race, ethnicity and every flavor of humanity can be seen across the Department and in every neighborhood in Seattle.
Chief Diaz began his career in Patrol, the Mountain Bike Unit, and the Anti-Crime Team before joining the Investigations Bureau. He is also a Master Defensive Tactics instructor at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission. He served as Assistant Chief of a newly created Collaborative Policing Bureau prior to being promoted to the Deputy Chief. Chief Diaz is serving as the Interim Chief of Police.
Chief Diaz holds a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice from Central Washington University and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Washington. He has completed the FBI’s National Executive Institute, Major Cities Chiefs Associations Police Executive Leadership Institute, the Cascade Executive Program and the Senior Management Institute of Policing. Chief Diaz has authored numerous national publications in community policing, misdemeanor justice and juvenile justice.
Eric Greening
Assistant Chief Eric Greening has served the Seattle Police Department for 28 years. He has served as the Assistant Chief of the Collaborative Policing Bureau since 2021. The Collaborative Policing Bureau comprises the Community Outreach Unit, Crime Prevention Coordinators, Youth Violence Prevention Squad, Community Service Officer Unit, the Mayor’s Executive Protection Detail, the Crisis Response Team, and the Alternative Response Team.
Before his current assignment, Greening served in various positions across the city, including Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, DUI Traffic Enforcement Officer, Patrol Sergeant, East Anti-Crime Team Sergeant, Narcotics Unit Detective Sergeant, a Patrol Watch Lieutenant in the South, East, and West Precincts, Force Review Board member, a Lieutenant in the Office of Police Accountability, and the Operations Lieutenant in the East and South Precincts.
Promoted to Captain in 2015, he led the Traffic and Parking Enforcement Section. In 2016, Greening led the South Precinct. Promoted to Assistant Chief in 2017, Greening commanded the Night Duty Captains and the Homeland Security Bureau. In 2018 Greening led the Patrol Operations Bureau responsible for citywide proactive crime reduction strategies and 911 response. In 2020, Greening assumed command of the Special Operations Bureau, consisting of the Special Weapons and Tactics Unit, the Harbor Patrol Unit, Canine Unit, the Arson Bomb Squad, the Hostage Negotiation Team, and the Traffic and Parking Enforcement Section.
Greening holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resource Management from the City University of Seattle. He completed the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police and the Senior Executives in State and Local Government course at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Executive Education. He is also a Senior Certified Professional credentialed by the Society for Human Resource Management and holds a Diversity Equity and Inclusion certificate from Cornell University.
Kevin Hall
Assistant Chief Kevin Hall is a thirty-year member of the Tucson Police Department, joining the department in 1992. He has held the position of patrol officer, detective, patrol sergeant, SWAT sergeant, investigative sergeant, patrol lieutenant, Field Services Bureau Executive Officer, patrol captain, and now assistant chief. He has worked in various assignments within the department to include Operations Divisions South, Midtown, East, the Gang Unit, Physical Child Abuse Unit, Internal Affairs, Homicide, and the Home Invasion/Kidnapping Unit.
Assistant Chief Hall developed and implemented a comprehensive pre-arrest deflection program in 2018 in Tucson for both misdemeanor and felony non-violent charges associated with substance misuse. The collaborative program includes peer support specialist co-responders embedded within the police department, active outreach, self-referral, and harm-reduction practices. He oversees both the mental health, substance misuse, and homeless outreach teams in the police department.
Assistant Chief Hall has completed the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Senior Executives in State & Local Government, Police Executive Research Forum Senior Management Institute for Police, Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, School of Police Staff and Command, University of Arizona Eller School of Management Southwest Leadership and Foundations of Public Sector Leadership programs as well as holding two bachelor degrees from the University of California and a Master’s degree from Arizona State University.