After decades in the Los Angeles Police Department’s top echelons, Michel Moore knows the agency better than almost anyone. Still, on Tuesday, a day after Mayor Eric Garcetti tapped him to be the next police chief, Moore said he will listen to rank-and-file officers, command staff, community leaders and other Angelenos before fleshing out a game plan that reflects their ideas for policing a city with such disparate landscapes, lifestyles and languages. Moore’s listening tour began Monday evening, soon after a press conference announcing his appointment, with calls to police union leaders, power brokers in South Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley and others he hopes to enlist as allies as he works to reduce police shootings and combat the city’s homelessness crisis. “The engagement of police with our communities is a continued reform, instead of looking at enforcement, enforcement, enforcement,” Moore said in an interview with The Times Tuesday morning. Advertisement After a lunch at Eastside Market Italian Deli in Chinatown, Moore arrived in Echo Park with Garcetti on Tuesday, in his first major public appearance as police chief-select. The choice of locale hearkened back to the men’s first meeting two decades ago, when Garcetti was a young councilman representing the area and Moore was a captain assigned to remake a Rampart Division tarnished by scandal. In a city that is nearly 50% Latino, the locale was also rich with symbolism, as some Latino leaders professed their disappointment that Garcetti had not made history by appointing Los Angeles’ first Latino police chief. At the El Centro del Pueblo community center, whose longtime head is Police Commissioner Sandra Figueroa-Villa, Moore greeted students in a parenting skills class after Garcetti introduced him in Spanish. When a woman spoke to Moore in Spanish, he begged off with a “No hablo Español,” prompting laughter and a joke that Garcetti should give the new chief language lessons. LAPD veteran Michel Moore, center, jokes with the other LAPD officers before speaking at a press conference in Echo Park. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times ) Continuing his introduction in Spanish, Garcetti described Moore’s history in the area as the former leader of Rampart, noting that Moore had implemented immigrant-friendly policies such as allowing some unlicensed drivers to avoid having their vehicles impounded. One of the three finalists for chief, Robert Arcos, is a third-generation Mexican American and LAPD veteran who also is not fluent in Spanish. Advertisement But Arcos’ supporters, who included City Councilman Gil Cedillo and former councilman Richard Alatorre, promoted him as the best face of the LAPD at a time when President Trump’s hard-line immigration policies have struck fear among Latino residents. Another finalist, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott, who is African American, served 27 years in the LAPD and developed deep ties in South L.A. Moore’s father was Basque, and he is listed as Hispanic on department rosters. He says he identifies as the son of an immigrant and “one of billions” of human beings on the planet. At Echo Park Lake, Moore pulled Arcos aside for a private conversation before telling other police officers that he wants to highlight the positive interactions they have with residents. Advertisement With the lake’s landmark fountain behind him, Garcetti reiterated that he had been aiming to select the best police chief for Los Angeles, rather than achieving a historic milestone. That chief, no matter his or her ethnicity, would be an advocate for immigrants, Garcetti said. “I would never have appointed a chief that I didn’t feel would be an absolute champion, in these dark days, for immigrants, and someone who could represent African Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, the native community and, of course, whites and blacks,” said Garcetti, who is considering a run for president. Moore said he became familiar with the area around the lake in 1988, as a homicide detective investigating the murder of a gang member. The young man died in North Hollywood but lived across the street from the lake. In those days, Moore said, a youth who got in trouble with the law was considered a problem, not as someone who had likely experienced adversity and could be educated and reformed. Advertisement “Our way of fixing that was to enforce it, to arrest him, to arrest anyone else who was involved in it,” Moore said. “We didn’t do anything to stop the means by which people became involved in a gang lifestyle.” Mayor Garcetti and LAPD chief-select Michel Moore greet people at El Centro del Pueblo in Echo Park, (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times ) Similarly, Moore said, the LAPD should treat homeless people with compassion, helping them to find a way out of their situations instead of arresting them for minor transgressions. Later in the day, Moore planned to address police officers at a roll call in Newton Division in the Central-Alameda area before they headed out to patrol the streets. He started his LAPD career at Newton after graduating from the police academy in 1981. Advertisement Moore’s appointment must be confirmed by the City Council. In a statement on Monday, Cedillo indicated that he would engage in a “rigorous vetting process” before the council’s vote. Councilman Joe Buscaino, a former LAPD officer, said in a phone interview that all three finalists would have been stellar chiefs. With Moore’s experience heading all branches of the department, obtaining the fourth star worn by the LAPD chief would be a natural next step, Buscaino said. Buscaino echoed what many LAPD insiders have said: Moore is a leader who is well-versed in every detail of the department’s operations and expects the same from his subordinates. “If you work with Michel Moore, you had better bring your ‘A’ game,” Buscaino said. Advertisement Times staff writer David Zahniser contributed to this report.<doc-sep>article The mayor of Los Angeles announced a veteran officer has been named the chief of police, ending speculation San Francisco's Chief Bill Scott would take the job. The announcement was made late Monday afternoon. Chief Scott had been one of the top contenders for the position. He spent decades as a high-ranking member of the Los Angeles Police Department before succeeding embattled Chief Greg Suhr, who had come under fire for a number of fatal officer-involved shootings that had occurred under his watch. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti named 36-year-veteran Michel Moore as the new head of LAPD. Chief Scott issued a statement after the announcement was made, reiterating his commitment to the department and for the first time, explicitly addressing his candidacy for the position. “By now, you have heard that I explored an opportunity to return to Los Angeles to serve as the leader of that city’s police department," Scott wrote in his statement. "Throughout the process, I maintained focus on the mission of the San Francisco Police Department to provide safety with respect for all in our City. This offer provided me an opportunity to reflect on how much our department has accomplished and the challenges we face here in San Francisco. I remain committed to the work ahead to maintain public safety, reduce crime and strengthen the relationships between our officers and the people of the City and County of San Francisco.” The San Francisco Police Officer's Association, which has been at odds with Chief Scott over use of force issues regarding Tasers, said they would continue to work with Chief Scott and members of the San Francisco Police Commission to ensure the officers they represent have "qualified leadership." Advertisement "We hope Chief Scott remains committed to this City and our mission." The SFPOA's statement read.<doc-sep>As young cops, the three finalists for chief of the Los Angeles Police Department were taught a harsh style of policing that emphasized crackdowns and arrests. They have since disavowed that strategy, rising through the ranks of a department that has recast itself as a kinder, gentler LAPD. All three use similar catchphrases: building ties with residents, investing in youth sports and academic programs, assuring immigrants that the LAPD wants to help them, not deport them. But for the official making the selection, Mayor Eric Garcetti, who is considering a run for president, each of the veteran cops brings political benefits. Robert Arcos would be the first Latino police chief of a city that is nearly 50% Latino. Bill Scott, who left the LAPD to lead the troubled San Francisco Police Department, is African American and a familiar face in South Los Angeles. Advertisement Michel Moore, whose father was a Basque immigrant, was already in the top echelons of the LAPD when the other two candidates were appointed to their first station commands. LAPD insiders say his breadth of experience and mastery of subjects from crime statistics to budgets are second to none. Arcos has the backing of some powerful Latino politicians, while a coalition of African American pastors and community activists is supporting Scott. Garcetti received the names of the three finalists, chosen by the city’s civilian Police Commission from a field of 31 applicants, on May 4. He has said that he expects to pick the new chief by the end of the month, if not sooner — well in advance of Chief Charlie Beck’s June 27 retirement. The City Council will then vote on Garcetti’s choice. In selecting three men with decades of experience in the LAPD, the commission signaled its desire to stay the course set by Beck and his predecessor, William Bratton, who remade the department under a federal consent decree. Among the challenges the new chief will face: how to improve relationships with some black and Latino residents, who are critical of fatal police shootings and complain about bearing the brunt of the LAPD’s enforcement operations. Garcetti has said he wants to choose the best leader and is not aiming for a demographic first. Several City Council members had indicated that it was time for the leader of one of the largest police departments in the country to be a woman. But former Assistant Chief Sandy Jo MacArthur, who was among five candidates interviewed by the commission, did not make the final three. “It’s a nice, diverse pool, with the exception of no female,” said Fernando Guerra, a professor at Loyola Marymount University and director of the school’s Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles. “It reflects L.A., and it reflects the new LAPD.” Robert Arcos (Los Angeles Times ) Robert Arcos Arcos, 57, moved to L.A. from Texas with his mother and four younger siblings when he was 10. The family eventually settled in Atwater Village, then a working-class, mostly minority community where young men faced pressure to join gangs. His mother struggled financially, sometimes relying on food stamps. Advertisement Later, as a sergeant at the station that polices his old neighborhood, Arcos ran into childhood friends who had been arrested by his colleagues. “My story is very similar to many of the kids in underserved communities,” Arcos said. “That gives me a connection and empathy to realize where people are when they’re at their most vulnerable and low.” Scott Kroeber was the captain of the elite Metropolitan Division in 2005, when Arcos came in as a lieutenant charged with implementing changes recommended by top brass. Kroeber remembers Arcos as a “people-oriented” manager who cared so much about his police officers that he would agonize over what degree of discipline to give them. As an outsider to Metro’s insular culture, Arcos did not force the changes down officers’ throats and gradually won them over. Advertisement “He’s that rare individual who strikes the happy medium — we need to go there, and let’s bring people along to do it willingly,” said Kroeber, who retired in 2013. After his Metro assignment, Arcos made captain, serving as second-in-command at Olympic Division and then the officer in charge at 77th. Beck promoted him quickly to commander. He worked at administrative services and Central Bureau before taking charge of Central in 2016 as a deputy chief. At Central, which includes downtown and Northeast L.A., Arcos often manages large street demonstrations. The area is also the epicenter of L.A.’s worsening homelessness crisis. As chief, Arcos said, he would enhance the department’s de-escalation training so officers make different choices in a situation where “you can shoot, but should you?” Advertisement “It’s time for another cultural shift,” Arcos said. “Our policies have to reflect the community’s values.” Arcos is a third-generation Mexican American who understands some Spanish but does not speak it fluently. At a time when “the Trump administration has declared war on our immigrant communities,” Arcos is a “once in a lifetime” leader who has “challenged the status quo and embraced modern, non-traditional policing,” City Councilman Gil Cedillo wrote in an endorsement letter to Garcetti, which was also signed by former council members Gloria Molina, Richard Alatorre, Mike Hernandez and Ed Reyes. In 2006, while Arcos was a lieutenant in Metro, his daughter Chelsea killed two people in a drunk driving accident on the 5 Freeway. The LAPD launched an Internal Affairs investigation into an allegation that Arcos asked the probation department to alter a report in his daughter’s favor. The investigation eventually cleared Arcos, and he denies wrongdoing. Advertisement David Pokorny, the lead California Highway Patrol investigator in the case, said he has no proof that Arcos put pressure on the probation department. But in an interview with The Times last week, he called the Internal Affairs investigation a “massive coverup.” Pokorny, who is now retired, said that investigators never interviewed him, even though he was central to the case. After Pokorny warned Chelsea Arcos’ attorney that the probation report was flawed, the attorney never presented it in court, Pokorny told The Times. Chelsea Arcos was convicted of two counts of vehicular manslaughter, among other crimes, and sentenced to seven years in prison. “I never tried to mitigate it, minimize it or excuse it,” Robert Arcos said of his daughter’s actions. “She got what she deserved.” Advertisement In 2015, after her release from prison, Chelsea Arcos pleaded no contest to driving under the influence in another incident and was sentenced to an alcohol treatment program and 60 days in jail. Her previous convictions could not legally be used to upgrade the charge from a misdemeanor to a felony, said a spokeswoman from the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office. The other driver, who was not seriously hurt, filed a lawsuit in January that includes Robert Arcos and his wife as defendants and alleges Arcos used his position to get his daughter a light sentence. Arcos’ attorney has moved to dismiss the case, arguing that the parents are not legally liable for their daughter’s actions. “I had nothing to do with it. I had no influence. She’s an adult,” Arcos said. Advertisement Arcos and his wife have spoken at high schools about their daughter’s experience. At the LAPD, Arco has warned police officers who have gotten DUIs about the devastating consequences of drinking and driving. “I never want anybody to experience this, as a parent, a sibling, a close friend, ever,” he said. Michel Moore (Los Angeles Times ) Michel Moore Moore, 57, was among the finalists for LAPD chief in 2009. The Police Commission ranked him highest of the three, but Beck got the job. Moore has made no secret about his desire to lead a police department and was recently a finalist for the top jobs in Dallas and San Diego. Advertisement As a boy growing up with six siblings, Moore moved constantly while his parents looked for work. He remembers a Christmas night in Flint, Mich., when officials came to repossess the family station wagon. In Arkansas, his stepfather suggested that he stop using his Basque last name, Sanchotena, because of the racial prejudice there.<doc-sep>
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Monday that he had chosen Michel Moore, a 36-year LAPD veteran known for his mastery of subjects including crime statistics and budgets, to be the city’s next police chief. For Garcetti, who is contemplating a run for president, Moore offers the security of a proven administrator who has headed every major branch of the department. But the choice disappointed some who had hoped Garcetti would appoint the city’s first Latino police chief. At an afternoon news conference, Garcetti described Moore as “one of, if not the most, qualified law enforcement professionals in America, acknowledged by everyone for his exceptional intelligence.” “I’ve seen his work personally,” the mayor added. “No one works harder. No one reads more. And no one has a greater breadth of experience.” Moore, 57, who runs the LAPD’s patrol operations, was one of three finalists chosen by the civilian Police Commission from a field of 31 applicants to lead one of the nation’s largest police departments. “One of the most important questions of the moment may be, ‘Why do I want to be the next chief of police of this great city?’ And it’s pretty simple. I wish to continue the momentum in building trust, particularly in communities of color, and improving public safety,” Moore said. Moore said he also wants to make the department “more diverse and representative,” while continuing to support those who work for the Los Angeles Police Department. The other finalists were also LAPD veterans: Deputy Chief Robert Arcos, who runs the department’s Central Bureau, and Bill Scott, who left Los Angeles 1 ½ years ago to lead the troubled San Francisco Police Department. Arcos, a third-generation Mexican American, had the backing of some powerful Latino civic leaders and would have been the first Latino chief of a city that is nearly 50% Latino. Scott, who is African American, had strong ties in South Los Angeles after heading the LAPD’s South Bureau. Of the three, Moore has the most experience at the highest echelons of the LAPD. Councilman Gil Cedillo and a group of former elected officials from L.A.’s Eastside had argued that hiring Arcos would send a message at a time when the Trump administration has “declared war” on immigrant communities. After the mayor announced his pick, Cedillo struck a somewhat muted tone, noting that Garcetti’s announcement is only one step in the process. Moore must still be confirmed by the City Council, which will decide “what experience matters most and who the next police chief will be,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to engaging in a rigorous vetting process with my colleagues to ensure that our city and our police department’s leadership reflects the best of what our city is and can be,” said Cedillo, who represents neighborhoods from Westlake to Highland Park. In picking the next police chief, Garcetti said he was not “looking to fill a demographic or to make history.” “I wanted the best person for the job, and that was Mike Moore,” he said, noting that an African American is in charge at the airport and that the city’s fire chief is Latino. Moore’s father was Basque, and he is listed on department rosters as Hispanic. On Monday, he reiterated the LAPD’s longstanding policy that its officers’ primary focus is public safety with no active role enforcing civil immigration laws. “They can have that confidence in us, because their status, whether they are here lawfully or otherwise, is not a police matter, as it has not been for more than 40 years,” he said of immigrant residents. Moore had faced the possibility of becoming a perennial also-ran, having been a finalist when Chief Charlie Beck was chosen in 2009 and recently failing to secure the top jobs in Dallas and San Diego. In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents sworn officers, congratulated Moore and pledged to work closely with him to improve morale among the rank and file. “We are hopeful that if Chief Moore is appointed, he will take immediate action to address low officer morale stemming from our critically low police staffing and that he will be absolutely committed to collaborating on new ideas to reduce violent crime and prepare our city for the 2028 Olympics,” the statement said.