Michel Moore ready to walk out of LAPD HQ Thursday afternoon for his last time as chief
LOS ANGELES — Michel Moore was spending his final day as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department Thursday, preparing to move into retirement and hand control of the agency to an interim chief while the city searches for his replacement.
“Today is my last day as chief of police of the finest police department in America,” Moore said in a statement Thursday morning. “It has been an honor and privilege to have served Los Angeles for more than four decades. As I look forward to my next adventure with my family, I am proud of the dedication of our people and know the future for Los Angeles and the LAPD is bright.”
LAPD officers and civilian employees will pay tribute to Moore Thursday afternoon when he walks out of the building for the final time as chief. Participants will form an Honor Cordon, cheering on Moore as he exits the facility in a ceremony considered one of the department’s highest tributes.
People reach to shake retiring LAPD Chief Michel Moore’s hand after he is honored for more than 40 years of service during Wednesday’s Los Angeles City Council meeting on, Feb. 28, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
With his wife Cindy by his side retiring LAPD Chief Michel Moore is honored for more than 40 years of service to the police department during Wednesday’s Los Angeles City Council meeting on, Feb. 28, 2024 with Councilmembers John Lee and Monica Rodriguez. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
With his wife Cindy by his side retiring LAPD Chief Michel Moore is honored for more than 40 years of service to the police department during Wednesday’s Los Angeles City Council meeting on, Feb. 28, 2024 with Councilmembers John Lee and Monica Rodriguez. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Mayor Karen Bass speaks as retiring LAPD Chief Michel Moore is honored for more than 40 years of service to the police department during Wednesday’s Los Angeles City Council meeting on, Feb. 28, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
With his wife Cindy by his side retiring LAPD Chief Michel Moore is honored for more than 40 years of service to the police department during Wednesday’s Los Angeles City Council meeting on, Feb. 28, 2024 with Councilmembers John Lee and Monica Rodriguez. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Paul Watkins, NHMC President; Erika Beck, CSUN President; Michel Moore, LAPD Chief of Police; and other key members were on-hand on Thursday, Feb.8, 2024, to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the facility. (Photo by Rami Jandali/Dignity Health)
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore attends the 39th Annual Holiday Parade and Festival in Chatsworth, CA December 10, 2023.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook, left, Mayor Karen Bass, and Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore announce the arrest of a suspect in three recent killings of homeless men, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
L.A. Police Chief Michel Moore announces updated dash and inside-the-car cameras on the Los Angeles Police Dept. cruisers on Thursday, May 4, 2023. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
LAPD Chief Michel Moore talks about the 2022 End-of-Year Homicide Report during a news conference at Los Angeles Police Headquarters onTuesday, Mar. 28, 2023. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
LAPD Chief Michel Moore. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore, Sheriff Cmdr. Michael Hannemann and other law enforcement officials held a news conference at the LAPD Elysian Park Academy in Los Angeles to discuss details of a weeklong, statewide operation to combat human trafficking on Wednesday morning, Feb. 1, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore, Sheriff Cmdr. Michael Hannemann and other law enforcement officials held a news conference at the LAPD Elysian Park Academy in Los Angeles to discuss details of a weeklong, statewide operation to combat human trafficking on Wednesday morning, Feb. 1, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 22: Chief of Police of the Los Angeles Police Department Michel Moore, reacts before throwing out a ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LAPD Chief Michel Moore (file photo)
Police Chief Michel Moore speaks to the media at the LAPD Elysian Park Police Academy in Los Angeles on Dec. 8. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
LAPD Chief Michel Moore (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
David Singer, the head of the U.S. Marshal for the District of California listens as LAPD Chief Michel Moore talks about Operation North Star on Thursday, July 7, 2022. LAPD and the U.S. Marshals Service held a press conference to discuss results of Operation North Star – which made gang and narcotics busts in the LA area. The operation sought to reduce violent crime in 10 cities, including Los Angeles, and targeted “fugitives with arrest warrants, wanted for the most serious, violent, and harmful offenses.” (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Los Angeles, CA – July 01:Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore does a weapon inspection on recruit class 1-22 during their graduation ceremony at the LA Police Academy on Friday, July 1, 2022. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
Los Angeles, CA – July 01:Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore and Mayor Eric Garcetti do a weapon inspection on recruit class 1-22 during their graduation ceremony at the Los Angeles Police Academy on Friday, July 1, 2022. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
Los Angeles police Chief Michel Moore acknowledges that it will be difficult to hire the additional 780 officers whose salaries are included in the mayor’s proposed budget for 2022-23. “We have to break the paradigm of how long it takes to become a member of this organization,” Moore said. (File photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Los Angeles Police Department Chief of Police Michel Moore, spoke at the annual end-of-year news conference at the 77th Street Community Police Station on Thursday, Ja. 13, 2022, to provide crime statistics for Los Angeles for 2021 and upcoming LAPD initiatives for 2022. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
LAPD Chief Michel Moore. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
On Tuesday, June 29, 2021 Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez and the Los Angeles Police Department Mission Division, in Mission Hills, CA, with LAPD Chief Michel Moore, speaking, and Commander Alan Hamilton, hosted a press conference announcing the City’s first ever Fireworks Buyback Program, an effort to curb illegal fireworks in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Police Chief Michel Moore. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Los Angeles police Chief Michel Moore (January 2021 photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore shows the BolaWrap remote restraint device during a demonstration at the LAPD Police Academy in Los Angeles on Monday, December 9, 2019. The device was developed to restrain people, especially those in mental crisis, without hurting them and LAPD is going to test them in the field. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
LAPD’s new Police Chief Michel Moore (File photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Mayor Eric Garcetti selects LAPD veteran Michel Moore as Los Angeles’ new police chief on Monday, June 4, 2018 at LA City Hall. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
(Foto por John McCoy, Los Angeles Daily News / SCNG)
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck embrace, while First Assistant Chief Michel Moore applauds, after Beck announced his retirement effective June of this year. Los Angeles, CA 1/018/2018 (Photo by John McCoy, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Los Angeles Police Department First Assistant Chief Michel Moore speaks during a press conference where Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck talked about a decrease in crime rates, Beck announced his retirement effective June of this year. (Photo by John McCoy, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Mayor Eric Garcetti selects LAPD veteran Michel Moore as Los Angeles’ new police chief on Monday, June 4, 2018 at LA City Hall. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Moore said he is retiring and plans to move away from Los Angeles to be closer to his daughter, though he will retain a consultant role with the city. The Board of Police Commissioners selected Assistant Chief Dominic Choi as the interim chief of police, and he is to take on the role starting Friday.
On Wednesday, Moore was honored by Mayor Karen Bass and the Los Angeles City Council, recognizing his four decades of service with the department, including serving as the agency’s 57th chief.
“We’ve been through many crises related to weather or other various situations where you had to call everybody together and we work together collaboratively, and I really appreciate that and honor your 40 years,” Bass said during the ceremony in the Council Chamber.
In regard to the pandemic, she noted that Moore had to go through the experience of losing many officers, and yet while grieving, he continued to lead.
“I know that Cindy and your daughter will be happy to have you home full-time,” Bass said. “You’re not going to go away immediately, and we’ve asked that you stay on for a while and work with Interim Chief Dominic Choi to make sure that there is a smooth transition.”
Born in Porterville, California in 1960, Moore was the second of five children growing up in different parts of the United States, Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, who chairs the council’s Public Safety Committee, said. He graduated high school in Conway, Arkansas, and moved to Southern California in 1978, joining the LAPD in 1981.
Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in business management in 1993, and completed a masters in business administration in 1999.
“Chief Moore rose through the ranks from a detective, sergeant, lieutenant working various patrols, investigative and administrative assignments throughout the city,” Rodriguez said.
Moore became a captain in 1998, first assigned to the Rampart Division. In 2002, he was promoted to commander, then deputy chief in 2004, assuming command of operations at the department’s West Bureau.
In 2014, he was assigned as director of the Office of Administrative Services, overseeing the department’s fiscal, personnel, training and other various support operations. He became first assistant chief in 2016.
In 2018, he was sworn in as the chief of police, replacing Charlie Beck.
“I’ve said repeatedly that Chief Moore has an encyclopedic understanding of this department, and he has served in so many various roles, and understands the dynamics, the reporting requirements and the importance of building the public’s trust,” Rodriguez said.
Moore told the council he was humbled by the support and proud of his time as chief.
“Nearly six years ago, I was here in front of this body with my wife Cindy, as we sought the confirmation of this council with my appointment,” Moore said. “Over the course of that confirmation, I remained committed to working with each of you to pursue a common goal of public safety and to lead with purpose, compassion and with partnerships.”
Moore added, “I’ll forever cherish the challenges and success enjoyed, remembering the 239 men and women of this department and their families who have sacrificed their life in the service of this great city.”