Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said Wednesday he was proud of his six-year tenure as leader of the nation’s second-largest police department, even as critics faulted him for failing to advance much-needed reforms.
Moore has announced his retirement, effective at the end of February.
In an appearance on LAist’s Airtalk program, Moore said he thought it was the “right time” to retire — just a year after his appointment by Mayor Karen Bass to a second five-year term. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family and that he was moving to Tennessee where his daughter lives.
“I have a department that I am quite proud of,” Moore said. “I’ll miss the ability to brag about the great work that our men and women go out and do every day.”
Moore acknowledged the troubled history of the department, where he spent more than 42 years of his policing career.
“We represent the very best in policing and unfortunately we have also had some of the darkest moments in this profession … and the lasting impact that still has on communities is something a chief needs to be mindful of.”
Asked about allegations by one of his own detectives that he may have ordered an investigation into Mayor Karen Bass regarding a scholarship she received from USC, Moore responded bluntly: “It’s a lie.”
Moore also sharply criticized a report by City Controller Kenneth Mejia that found most of the helicopter flight time from fiscal years 2018 through 2022 wasn’t connected to high-priority crimes. He said he believed Mejia’s report was colored by a “bias” against the LAPD.
Mejia has defended his report and said “some transportation and ceremonial…
Read the full article here
