New Passaic police chief is first Latino to run a Passaic County department

Richard Diaz made history Tuesday when he became the first Latino appointed chief of police in Passaic County.

Diaz, 47, a career police officer of Puerto Rican descent, was sworn in as chief of the Passaic Police Department on Tuesday night at a ceremony in the City Council chambers.

Mayor Alex D. Blanco administered the oath of office, and Diaz, raising his right hand, officially took command of a department that is sworn to protect 70,000 residents, 70 percent of them Latino.

Blanco, noting that Diaz has lived in Passaic since he was 9 years old, said the new chief was “invested” in the community.

“Richard Diaz is not only an outstanding individual,” Blanco told about 200 relatives, friends and colleagues who crowded the City Council chambers. “He’s also invested in our community. He was raised here. He went to school here.”

Diaz, who was born in Manhattan, graduated from Passaic High School in 1983 and then joined the Marine Corps. He joined the Passaic Police Department 25 years ago. He was appointed acting chief in June when Daniel Patton announced his retirement.

On Tuesday night, the City Council voted 7-0 to make Diaz the permanent chief. His annual salary is $147,330.

Diaz’s ascent from the rank of captain to the top spot in the department makes him the second highest-ranking Latino law enforcement officer in Passaic County. Only Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes outranks him. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Latinos make up 37 percent of Passaic County’s population.

Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, read a congressional proclamation and offered Diaz words of encouragement. “This is a great city,” Pascrell said. “Its diversity is its strength. I am proud of all the officers in this city, and the best is yet to come.” 

Diaz, in a brief interview before the ceremony, said he aims to lead a department that enforces the law and respects citizens’ rights. Since taking as acting chief in June, he said, he has not fielded a single complaint about officers disrespecting citizens on the street.

As a police officer, Diaz said his philosophy is “you have a job to do, but treat the citizens with respect.”

Although Diaz, a former head of Internal Affairs for the Passaic department, earned numerous commendations over his 25-year career, his road to the top has been anything but smooth. Over the years, Diaz has been the subject of several allegations of wrongdoing, but none have proven fatal to his career. 

In 2010, The Record reported that Diaz, along with a partner, Joseph Nazario of Wallington, owned an illegal apartment above a bar at 67-69 Passaic St. The newspaper reported that neither partner had ever applied for a certificate of occupancy, which normally triggers a safety inspection.

Diaz said he did not manage the building, and had left it up to his partner to apply for the certificate.

Diaz was also a key defendant in a sexual harassment lawsuit that the city settled in 2009 for $500,000. In the suit, a Passaic police officer alleged that Diaz, in his role as head of Internal Affairs, spread false rumors that she had engaged in sex while on the job. Internal Affairs never brought any sex charges against the officer, but word of the allegations leaked and she sued the department and Diaz.

In his defense, Diaz denied leaking any information and said he was merely doing his job by investigating allegations of wrongdoing. Rather than face a trial, the city settled the suit. 

Because of his background, the state Department of Community Affairs initially challenged Diaz’s appointment as acting chief in June. The DCA demanded that the city turn over Diaz’s personnel file so it could determine if any disciplinary action had been taken against him.

At the time, the DCA had control over the city’s budget, and had the final say on hiring and promotions.

Initially, the city balked at the DCA’s request, citing Diaz’s right to privacy. But Passaic relented and turned over the file after the DCA threatened to cut off $312,000 in transitional aid to the city. 

Passaic has since weaned itself off transitional aid, and the City Council once again has control of the budget.

Via: http://www.northjersey.com/