New Tacoma police chief could be appointed Tuesday. City manager chooses Dallas veteran

A new Tacoma police chief could be named next week.

After two weeks of deliberating over four final candidates, City Manager Elizabeth Pauli has selected Avery Moore to be considered by the City Council at its Tuesday (Dec. 7) meeting.

If the council confirms Moore, he is expected to begin work mid-January.

Moore, 55, is currently the assistant chief for the Investigations Bureau at the Dallas Police Department. He has been in law enforcement more than 30 years.

In an interview with The News Tribune, he called himself “a change agent” and said he knows how to navigate a diversified city thanks to his time in Dallas, the ninth largest police department in the country.

Moore championed community policing, boosting officer morale, ensuring the department reflects the community and implementing a crisis response team to respond to calls involving mental health crises and homelessness-related issues.

He was a final contender this summer to be police chief for the Columbus and Austin police departments, according to news reports.

The city declined to comment Friday on why it believes Moore is the best candidate, saying it will be discussed at next week’s meeting.

The other candidates were Kathy McAlpine, who worked in Tacoma 31 years before leaving to be chief in Tigard, Oregon; Michael Carroll, who retired from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office in San Leandro, California, after a 25-year career; and Sean Case, a captain with the Anchorage Police Department.

The city has been searching for a police chief since Don Ramsdell retired in January after being at the helm of Tacoma Police Department for 17 years. The new chief will take over from Mike Ake, who was promoted from assistant chief to interim police chief after Ramsdell left.

It’s unclear whether Ake will stay on with the department once a new chief is hired.

People can tune into the council’s discussed on whether to appoint Moore at 5 p.m. Tuesday on Zoom (Event ID 84834233126 and passcode 349099), by dialing into 253-215-8782 or watch it on TV Tacoma.