'Untruthful information' cited as reason former Seattle Police Chief Diaz placed on leave, sources say

Adrian Diaz, the Seattle police chief forced to step down in May, was placed on leave for allegedly lying during an investigation, sources told KUOW on Wednesday.

Diaz was put on leave on Monday, but a police department spokesperson would not say why.

Diaz allegedly provided "untruthful information" during an investigation into whether he hired an alleged romantic partner to be his chief of staff, according to a memo from the city's Office of Inspector General.

RELATED: Former Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz placed on paid leave amid watchdog investigations

The inspector general's office sent a separate letter to Jamie Tompkins, the chief of staff.

The letter says that Tompkins lied and provided "a disguised handwriting sample."

These are the latest events in a year-and-a-half long drama surrounding questions about the nature of Diaz and Tompkins' relationship. As rumors unfurled, seven officers sued the police department, naming Diaz specifically, citing discrimination, and in some cases, sexual grooming.

Meanwhile, Diaz went to the FBI and Department of Homeland Security -- saying he believed Tompkins was being surveiled by members of his rank and file.

After stepping down in May, Diaz came out as gay in an interview with KTTH's Jason Rantz, suggesting that being gay meant he could not have sexually harassed women.

Diaz filed a tort claim earlier this month alleging that he was discriminated against by Mayor Bruce Harrell and Deputy Mayor Tim Burgess for being gay. Diaz had told Harrell and Burgess before he publicly came out as gay to Jason Rantz in June.

Seattle’s Office of Inspector General sent Harrell and several other city leaders a notice of the investigation into whether Diaz lied on Oct. 25. Sources say this led to Diaz being placed on leave. The contents of the notice were shared with KUOW.

The notice states, “This matter involves allegations that the former chief provided untruthful information during OIG investigation 2023-0286.” Complaints that spurred investigation 2023-0286 alleged that Diaz hired a romantic partner into a top-level position at the Seattle Police Department.

RELATED: Seattle police chief's alleged relationship with employee prompts inquiries, roils department

Diaz has repeatedly denied the affair rumors through his attorney Ted Buck.

The new query also centers on allegations that Diaz failed to maintain confidentiality about an ongoing investigation, after receiving multiple warnings from the Office of Inspector General to do so.

Meanwhile, Diaz filed a tort claim seeking $10 million with the City of Seattle on Oct. 9, alleging that the city “wrongfully discharged and discriminated, harassed, and retaliated” against him when he came out as gay to Harrell and Burgess, and when he “refused to commit illegal acts.”

The lawyer representing Diaz in the lawsuit, Jacob Downs, told KUOW that city administration had requested that Diaz take “adverse action” towards one or more officers in the department, but that Diaz believed doing so would violate their due process rights and refused to do it.

RELATED: A beef jerky run and alleged romantic hire: Two investigations launched into former Seattle Chief Diaz

Downs told KUOW that placing Diaz on leave now seemed retaliatory. He said Diaz didn’t know why he was placed on leave at the time of the action, and that he received the investigation notice about the alleged lies, but that it didn’t specify what they were.

“It’s a shame that this is how a city employee, a police officer who worked for the city for almost 30 years, is treated towards the end of his career. [It’s] just despicable to me,” Downs said. “We look forward to either having the city understand that and resolving this case, or we look forward to having a jury resolve it for us.”

“Adrian Diaz has not been discharged and remains an employee of the City. The City denies the allegations in the claim for damages. Beyond this, we are unable to comment on the pending claim or any related investigations,” spokesperson Jamie Housen wrote in an email.

Harrell demoted Diaz from his role as police chief and moved him into a “special projects” role in late May, as several racism, harassment, and discrimination lawsuits and internal complaints were piling up against Diaz. One female officer accused him of “predatory behavior.”

RELATED: Seattle cop accuses Chief Diaz of ‘predatory behavior’ and ‘grooming’

Diaz has repeatedly denied these allegations.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.