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Los Angeles police chief Michel Moore to step down

By KJ Hiramoto
Updated  January 12, 2024 5:32pm PST
Crime and Public Safety
KTVU FOX 2

Michel Moore emotional while discussing wife

LAPD Chief Michel Moore held back tears while discussing what his wife Cindy meant to him during him time as the head of the city police department.

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles city police chief Michel Moore is retiring.

The news of Moore stepping down as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department came in the form of a press conference led by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Friday afternoon. The retirement will go into effect at the end of February 2024, Moore confirmed.

"It's been my distinct honor and privilege to have served for more than four decades on the finest police department in the world, and for the last five and a half years as chief, some six years ago, when the opportunity to seek the position of chief of police occurred," Moore said Friday.

Prior to Friday's news, Moore had been the chief of LAPD since 2018. He was first appointed to chief by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti and was re-elected for a second term on January 2023 after getting a unanimous vote by the Board of Police Commissioners. Long before he was named chief, he joined LAPD in 1981 and moved up to captain in 1998.

Chief Michel Moore announces retirement from LAPD

After spending decades serving Los Angeles, Chief Michel Moore announced Friday that he is retiring from the police department.

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As of Friday, 3:10 p.m., Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass did not name a replacement for Moore. She added there will be a nationwide search for the next LAPD chief. Bass said after February, Moore will remain involved with LAPD in a consulting role.

During the retirement press conference, Moore held back tears when he thanked his wife Cindy for her support throughout his tenure. He said the opportunity to spend time with family factored into his decision to retire and added he looks forward to the Sunday family dinners.

Moore also thanked Bass for her support for the city's law enforcement.

"In your first year in office, you've delivered on the most important promise of your campaign, and that's your unwavering support of the men and women of this department," Moore said Friday. " And to improve the safety of Los Angeles. You have time and time again reached out to me and the people of our of our organization to listen and to learn of the challenges that we face."

Dating back to his Jan. 2023 re-election, Moore had been public about not expecting to serve as LAPD Chief for when Los Angeles plays host to the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Moore's tenure as LAPD Chief had been eventful, to say the least. As he and the department dealt with the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, LAPD lost at least eight of its members due to coronavirus complications.

RELATED: LAPD loses eighth member of department to COVID-19

In a report published in 2021, the City Council found LAPD had mishandled "various aspects" of the 2020 LA protests sparked by George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis. The report commissioned by the City Council found that many of the LAPD officers were not properly trained in crowd control tactics, illegally detained people who committed infractions, used "less-lethal weapons" on peaceful protesters and created chaos through conflicting orders.

RELATED: LAPD mishandled George Floyd protests, City Council-commissioned report finds

Within the department, Moore is credited with pushing for the modernization of LAPD's technology and making sure the officers aren't stuck with obsolete equipment. He is also credited with institutionalizing the department's community safety partnership model and making himself and LAPD accessible to the public through community engagement.