Adrian Diaz began his first month as Seattle’s acting police chief pledging to hear residents out about ways to reform the police department.

His first significant action was reassigning officers from specialty units to the 911 patrol team, which Diaz considers the backbone of the Seattle force.

“We were completely short staffed,” Diaz said. “We really had to make sure that patrol was actually staffed properly. Instead of having a department that’s focused on being specialized, it’s really about making every officer a generalist.”

Beset with crime, empty downtown office buildings, and coronavirus protocols that limit business, Seattle retailers hope for improved response times when they call the police.

In an interview with KOMO-TV, Diaz expressed his support for peaceful protest and declared violence unacceptable.

Watch the interview here.