Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore will step down at the end of February, with city and department officials expected soon to begin the process of finding a new leader to take over one of the most challenging jobs in law enforcement, the Los Angeles Times reports. Until Moore's replacement is in place, Mayor Karen Bass said she had asked him to “serve in a consulting capacity to assist an interim chief,” and that he had agreed to the offer. His resignation came as a surprise: before his reappointment in January 2023 to a second five-year term as the city’s top cop, Moore said he would serve for two or three years before turning the department over to a new chief ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.
Bass had reappointed Moore to a second five-year term over the concern of critics who argued that the scope of scandals that have plagued the department during his tenure reflected a poor track record for any leader. In recent months, his department controversies include a string of officer misconduct incidents and a whistleblower complaint, denied by Moore, that two LAPD detectives were ordered to investigate Bass shortly after her election. Moore said that he had worked to create a more diverse LAPD with more female officers promoted. Bass also praised Moore as coming up with innovative strategies in response to a post-pandemic crime spike in crime, and said he acted to quell follow-home robberies.