With Kerlikowske’s departure for the big world of federal drug policy in the other Washington, SPD needed an interim chief to manage the department while a candidate for the permanent position is sought. Mayor Nickels picked John Diaz, who most recently served as the Deputy Chief, overseeing the bulk of day-to-day operational management of the department.
The press release on the SPD blog notes that he is a former commander of our own East Precinct:
A San Francisco native, Diaz joined the Seattle Police Department as a night patrol officer in 1980 and worked in the South Precinct. He was later commander of the gang section and the violent crimes section. He worked in the East Precinct as a sergeant, lieutenant and captain, and from 1995 to 2000, he served as the East Precinct commander, overseeing approximately 160 patrol officers and fostering a close relationship with one of the city’s most diverse communities.
Although I was around for three of those 5 years, I wasn’t really paying attention during that time. But I’m sure that many of our smart and highly engaged commenters were. What do you remember of his time around here?
I’m up near Madison and at the time it was still a bit of a rough edge, but rapidly improving. We had a fair amount of open drug dealing going on at the time, but the neighborhood was pretty determined to stamp it out. There was a weekly neighborhood evening walk organized by some residents just north of Madison that we used to go on. An officer was usually there with us and I seem to remember feeling that they supported us well, not only by being there, but also supported what the residents wanted and how we were trying to achieve it.
It’s improved so much (especially since the demise of Deano’s) that I don’t think the walks are even happening any more. I see less police presence these days, but then again we seem to need less.