Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has appointed a 33-year police veteran to replace retiring police chief Charlie Beck. The mayor named LAPD Assistant Chief Michel Moore to the job Monday, passing over Deputy Chief Robert Arcos, who oversees the Central Bureau, and San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott.
Garcetti praised Moore for his “exceptional intelligence,” calling him “one of, if not the most, qualified law enforcement professionals in America.”
“I’ve seen his work personally,” the mayor added. “No one works harder. No one reads more. And no one has a greater breadth of experience.”
Hector Villagra, executive director of the ACLU of Southern California, also had kind words for Moore. Villagra said he has a history of working with the organization and civil rights groups to improve policing and limit interactions with federal immigration enforcement.
Moore was a finalist for the job in 2009, but lost out to Beck. He currently oversees patrol operations for the department.
In an previous interview with KPCC, Moore outlined four objectives that he would prioritize if appointed chief: the hiring of more African and American and female officers; community outreach and building better relationships with the black community; exploring the role of implicit bias in policing; and shifting more officers from specialized units to patrol cars.
Read more at the Los Angeles Times.