Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore announced Friday that he’s retiring from the department after more than four decades of service, opening the way for the mayor to choose the next leader of the nation’s second largest police force.
Moore, who'll be staying on as a consultant until Mayor Karen Bass finds his replacement, cited a desire to spend more time with his family for his decision to step down.
"As I begin my next endeavor, with Cindy, as we move closer to our daughter after six years of being apart to return to our custom of Sunday night dinners and time together," he said, referring to his wife.
Moore has been on the force for 42 years and was hired as the L.A. Police Department chief in 2018.
Former Mayor Eric Garcetti first appointed him. Bass reappointed him to a second five-year term last year.
At the time, Moore said he did not intend to stay on for the full term. His retirement gives Bass the opportunity to pick her own leader for the often troubled department. Her appointed civilian police commission will lead the search.
Without getting into specifics, Moore acknowledged during a news conference that he had made mistakes during his time as leader of the department, but said he was proud of his accomplishments.
“During my tenure, I know I’ve made mistakes and missteps,” he said. “But I’m also confident that my work has seen success across a broad spectrum of topics unmatched by any other law enforcement agency in this country.”
In announcing the chief's retirement, Bass said that over the past year, "Moore helped us prepare for a hurricane, ensure that Angelenos were safe while the 10 Freeway was closed, and assisted in protecting our unhoused neighbors when a serial killer was on the loose."
She also noted that under Moore, crime had gone down over the past year and the department was seeing more people apply to its academy.
But Moore’s tenure has been marked by problems, too — most notably the department’s handling of protests in the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
An independent report found the LAPD was ill-prepared and in disarray during the early intense days of summer protests, leading to improper use of force against peaceful protesters and unlawful detentions of thousands of demonstrators.
In 2021, Moore was heavily criticized after the LAPD’s elite Bomb Squad leveled parts of a South L.A. neighborhood when its members mishandled the detonation of illegal fireworks.
More recently, two Internal Affairs detectives said they were ordered to investigate Bass — possibly on orders from Moore, according to the Los Angeles Times. Moore denied knowing anything about it.
Melina Abdullah, who head Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, was often a critic of Moore, saying he did too little to reduce the use of unnecessary force by his officers, particularly on people of color.
At the same time, Moore was widely praised for curbing pretextual stops by officers, which involve stopping a driver or pedestrian for a minor traffic or other violation in hopes of uncovering a more serious crime. Now officers must give a reason on body-worn camera recordings as to why they suspect someone of committing a more serious crime.
Moore first joined the LAPD in 1981. He rose through almost every rank of the department before becoming chief in 2018. Moore was said to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the often Byzantine agency.
L.A. City Council President Paul Krekorian released a statement thanking Moore for his service to the community, highlighting his leadership of the department at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He led the LAPD through uniquely difficult times, including the greatest public health crisis in a century," Krekorian said. "He persevered in the cause of reform and upheld the values of constitutional policing. I look forward to working with a successor who can build upon his record.”
The Los Angeles Police Protective League said in a statement that Moore's time in the department's top job was "marked by unprecedented changes in the law enforcement profession, apparently noting the calls for policing reform that ramped up in L.A. and across the country after the killing of George Floyd. The statement noted that Moore had an open-door policy that allowed the league to offer the perspectives of rank-and-file officers.
"Although we did not always agree, we had a respectful and productive relationship," the statement reads in part."We wish Chief Moore and his family the best in his retirement.
"In choosing a new Chief, we urge the Police Commission and Mayor Bass to select an individual who’s committed to rebuilding the ranks of the department, reducing violent crime, and improving morale... ," the statement continues.
Bass did not provide a timeline as to how soon a new chief would be appointed.
