Seattle Police Chief Diaz gets emotional at mayor's announcement

Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz breaks down at announcement of new interim chief

SEATTLE - Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz got emotional while speaking about his years as the city's interim and then permanent police chief.

Mayor Bruce Harrell announced Wednesday that Diaz would no longer be police chief and was being reassigned within the department. He also said Diaz's rank, role and salary have not yet been determined.

"His integrity in my mind is beyond reproach and he is a friend and I want to thank him for his service," said Harrell. "The amount of litigation has been somewhat distracting. He’s a human being and a good human being at that."

Harrell also introduced former King County Sheriff Sue Rahr as the interim chief of police.

A source told FOX 13 that Diaz cleaned out his office Tuesday night. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has reassigned him to special projects.

Keep reading for a transcript of Diaz's remarks:

"Good afternoon everybody. When I took on the role as chief of police over four years ago, I knew to come with many challenges. The city was at a peak of a racial reckoning, with protests and riots daily. There were calls to reimagine policing, a consent decree that had to be reset, a push to defund the police, violent crime on the rise, a culture that required change. And along with my command staff, I dove in to find solutions. In four years. We got back on track with a consent decree I created before the badge a nationally recognized program. I implemented a system to assess bias policing and revamped our early intervention system. And I invested in offshore wellness. Implemented an extensive plan for race and social justice. We reinvented crowd management and we have nearly eliminated serious use of forces via crime is down. Officer complaints are down significantly, and we're taking more guns off the street than ever before. We've recovered a number of drugs and we've saved countless lives. We did this all with the help of creating a third public safety department as well. I've accomplished so much in the four years as chief, but there's more work to be done. I pass that challenge along to my predecessor, and I will continue to support the city as I transition to this new role. I want to thank the men and women of the Seattle Police departments for their hard work. The community that has supported us through every challenge. Thank you."