The Tacoma Police Department has announced that Avery Moore, former Dallas police investigations leader, will be the department's new chief.
According to Tacoma police, Moore was confirmed as the new police chief by the Tacoma City Council on Tuesday. He starts on his new role on Jan. 18, 2022.
He was previously selected by Tacoma City Manager Elizabeth Pauli, and Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards confirming the selection.
Moore, 55, is a 31-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. He previously served as assistant chief of police for the Investigations Bureau. He also about 700 officers in the East Patrol Bureau, worked as a SWAT commander, and the legislative affairs liaison during his tenure with the Dallas Police Department.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
Moore and the other finalists faced a recruitment process that involved taking questions and answers from the city council and the public.
"Thank you for this awesome opportunity," Moore said during a Tacoma council meeting. "I think we have some challenges, certainly, but we're going to turn them into opportunities... I look so forward to being your chief."
The department had been searching for a new chief since the retirement of Don Ramsdell last year. He announced his retirement in July 2020 amid calls for police reform following the death of Manuel Ellis, who died while in the custody of Tacoma officers.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Two of the officers involved in Ellis' death have been charged with murder. A third officer has been charged with manslaughter.
Moore takes over the department from interim Chief Mike Ake.
According to our media partners at The Dallas Morning News, police chief Eddie García said he has not yet chosen who will replace Moore in the Dallas Police Department.
Moore also made a run at becoming the chief of the Dallas Police Department last year following the departure of former chief Reneé Hall, The Dallas Morning News reported. He also applied this summer to become police chief in the cities of Austin and Columbus, Ohio.
Click here to read more from our media partners at The Dallas Morning News.
