At 9:30 a.m. tomorrow, Seattle Police Chief John Diaz will guest star at the city council's Public Safety and Education Committee meeting for the first leg of his city council confirmation hearing process.

At this point, everyone pretty much assumes that Chief Diaz's confirmation is a formality—unless narcotics agents catch him selling crack in Pioneer Square (in black face). Still, the committee meeting gives council members—and the public—the chance to dig in and get Diaz to elucidate his vision for Seattle and commit to certain public safety priorities to achieve that vision.

"We don't have police chief confirmation hearings very often," says committee chair Tim Burgess. "The last one was 10 years ago. This is a great opportunity to learn about what's happening in our police department—and to pinpoint our strengths and weaknesses moving forward."

Here's a potential weakness: How SPD tracks residential burglary cases on a regional level. "I want to know what we do in our city to aim higher up in the economic profiteering ladder of criminal enterprises," Burgess says. "Specifically, where burglars fence the stuff they steal from our houses. Who are those players on a regional level. There are some clues about that and I want to know what our police department is doing to target those individuals higher up the ladder."

Expect other questions to revolve around Diaz's plans for making SPD more innovative (specifically regarding technology), how to improve public confidence in the department, and Diaz's strategy for deploying officers in light of the city's budget problems (and the SPD hiring freeze).

If you've got a question or a comment for Diaz, there will be a public comment period shortly after the meeting's 9:30 a.m. start in council chambers.