New records detail fear, deception as Seattle investigated former police chief Diaz for hiring girlfriend

Seattle’s Office of Inspector General has released a long-awaited trove of documents undergirding the investigation that led Mayor Bruce Harrell to fire then-Seattle police chief Adrian Diaz for dishonesty last December.

The latest records, released Tuesday, include transcripts from witness interviews and a handwritten love letter found in Diaz’s assigned vehicle, which was cited as key evidence of an undisclosed relationship between Diaz and the woman he hired as his chief of staff.

The records’ release comes just six days after Diaz filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the city, and three weeks before a mediation session with the former chief of staff.

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Disclosures include a handwriting analysis an investigator said likely showed Jamie Tompkins, Diaz’s chief of staff and a former Fox 13 anchor, wrote the love letter to Diaz, prompting findings that the two had a romantic relationship.

A second handwriting analysis obtained by Diaz disputes Tompkins’ authorship. Both Diaz and Tompkins have denied romantic involvement.

The records also show fears of retaliation harbored by officers on Diaz’s security detail, who told investigators that Diaz had bragged about his sexual relationship with Tompkins.

In one of the recordings released by OIG, Detective Tay Gray-McVey told investigators that Diaz talked about his romantic relationship with Tompkins. Gray-McVey audibly broke down in tears when pressed to clarify his account.

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“I have seen people lose their jobs and I have seen people be demoted for talking about this very thing, not even in a formal setting,” he said. “So as someone who has a 12-year-old daughter and 14 years left here, I feel like the city’s put me in a really shitty spot right now.”

Gray-McVey noted that Diaz had been demoted but still worked for SPD, and said Tompkins was still his direct boss.

“And I know that when we’re done today, they’re going to know how my interview went,” he said.

A second member of the security detail, now-Lieutenant Brandon James, told investigators that Diaz admitted to him that he was dating and sexually involved with Tompkins, that they wanted to be together, and Diaz contemplated leaving his wife.

Diaz told James that he couldn’t keep up with Tompkins sexually.

“I said go get some Cialis and you know that will help,” James said.

James told investigators that Diaz showed him a partially nude photo of someone he believed to be Tompkins.

He said Diaz told him in late 2022 that Tompkins’ husband had gone through his wife’s phone and “had seen the photos sent, sexting, talking about sex” between Tompkins and Diaz, and “was pissed off about it.” The couple filed for divorce in early 2023.

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James also stated to investigators that Diaz and Tompkins were “doing people dirty” who they perceived as cooperating with the investigation.

“Adrian was always talking about how Jamie was upset about all the rumors occurring. As a female starting in a new organization, she was really upset that she’s starting this way, but the rumors were because Adrian was so sloppy,” James told investigators. “His time around the west precinct, him creeping in and out, people would see them out downtown.”

James called the situation “really messy” and said he ultimately chose to leave the security detail.

James also told investigators that Diaz spoke with him about his sexual orientation “a couple months” before Diaz came out as gay on a conservative radio show.

In a private meeting, James said Diaz “got real serious and he said, ‘Brandon I’m gay.’” He said Diaz added, “’I’ve been struggling with this for a little while and the reason what you think you know is what you don’t know is because Jamie’s been helping me through my difficult discovery.’”

James said he was “perplexed” because of Diaz’s previous disclosures regarding his sexual relationship with Tompkins.

In an audio recording from last November, Diaz seemed exasperated as he denied any knowledge of the handwritten card or its contents.

“That is not something I have any knowledge of. To me it’s a little disgusting because I have literally gone through five years of struggling with my own sexual orientation, to then have a discussion about a card I didn’t write,” he told attorney Shayda Le, who was hired by OIG to conduct the investigation.

For her part, Tompkins told investigators Diaz was a platonic friend, and described SPD as a “cesspool” for romantic intrigue and gossip, adding that “at the City of Seattle, every day people are paid for nonsense because they’re not accomplishing anything.”

The records also show the reactions of top SPD officials as the investigation into Diaz expanded. In an interview with investigators last August, SPD’s Chief Operating Officer Brian Maxey conveyed his surprise when Inspector General Lisa Judge told him the investigation into Diaz’s alleged affair was taking longer than expected.

“I remember looking at her and saying, ‘Are you telling me this has the potential to be sustained?’” Maxey recalled. To that, he said Judge responded, “‘I’m not going to tell you anything, but would you find that so surprising,” and she added that they needed to do more interviews.

Tompkins worked at SPD for a year and a half and resigned last November, after Diaz was demoted and the investigation was underway. She has since filed a $3 million claim against the city over what she alleged was “pervasive” sexual harassment at SPD. She and her attorney told KUOW they have a mediation session with the city regarding her claim scheduled for June 25.

SPD Interim Chief Shon Barnes sent an all-staff email Tuesday in which he asked employees not to get caught up in gossip about the “sensitive matters” contained in the newly revealed records. Barnes said, “I am asking us all to bring our best selves to our colleagues, not simply as a general rule, but with particular commitment over the coming months.” He also emphasized that “retaliation against any employee for their compelled participation in any of these matters is specifically prohibited by policy.” Barnes is scheduled for confirmation hearings before the city council starting June 10.

KUOW has reached out to Diaz and Tompkins for comment and will update this story accordingly.