Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz facing another lawsuit

SEATTLE — Lawsuits are piling up against SPD Chief Adrian Diaz as the Seattle Police Department faces more legal issues.

Eric Greening, a 30-year veteran of the department, has filed a suit claiming the chief mounted a retaliation and discrimination campaign against him. Greening claims he was demoted and not allowed to reapply for an assistant chief position.

Officers in other precincts and departments have also mounted suits with similar concerns, and this lawsuit is one of multiple that have come down in the last seven months. Another suit over the assistant chief position was filed this year by Deanna Nollette.

Several of the lawsuits mounted against Cheif Diaz also claim that he discriminated against women. Recently, there was a $5 million tort claim filed on behalf of four women in the department claiming certain levels of discrimination, and Detective Denise “Cookie” Bouldin filed a claim alleging racism and gender discrimination last fall.

Seattle police sent KIRO 7 News a brief statement in response to these issues:

“The Seattle Police Department is absolutely committed to equity and inclusion in our workplace. SPD received the complaint filed today (Tuesday) in King County Superior Court this evening and refers all questions to the Seattle City Attorney’s Office.”

The latest suit brought by Greening also says that Diaz retaliated against him for bringing up issues of bias. Greening is also the third former Assistant Chief to accuse Diaz of racist and sexist behavior.

Amid growing calls for change, the Seattle City Council passed a measure to require SPD to report what the organization is doing to hire more women and address gender discrimination issues. The outcome of these lawsuits could influence policies at precincts across Seattle.

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