The Board of Police Commissioners are expected to convene Friday to discuss the appointment of an interim chief of police as Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore is set to retire at the end of February.
On the agenda for Friday’s meeting, it notes the commission will enter closed session for their discussion, meaning that no other individual in the room will be allowed to listen in to their deliberations. At the end of their discussion, the commissioners will be expected to announce any action taken, if any.
Members of the public will be allowed to speak up for one minute on the item, and there will be no general public comment period, according to the agenda.
As part of their work, the Board of Police Commissioners, under the leadership of president Erroll Southers, will be tasked with identifying and selecting an individual to serve as the interim police chief, as well as identifying the top three candidates for Mayor Karen Bass to consider for the appointment.
Moore announced his retirement Friday alongside Bass at City Hall.
The chief, who was appointed last year to serve a second five-year term leading the agency, reiterated that he had not intended the serve the entirety of that term, saying the LAPD should have fresh leadership ahead of the city hosting major events such as the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Moore joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1981. He was promoted to captain in 1998. His assignments included assuming command of the Rampart Division after a police corruption scandal and serving in a top command capacity at the 2000 Democratic National Convention.
He has served as LAPD chief since 2018, when he was appointed by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Bass said Moore will remain contracted with the city following his retirement to help with the transition to a new chief.
The Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing, LAPD officers, laid out the organization’s hopes for the next chief.
“In choosing a new chief, we urge the Police Commission and Mayor Bass to select an individual who’s committed to rebuilding the ranks of the department, reducing violent crime, and improving morale,” the union said in its statement issued last week. “These are challenging times for our city, as well as for our profession and we will need a leader unafraid of speaking truth to power, who will advocate for our rank and file and the safety of all Angelenos.”
The L.A. Daily News reported last week as well that ex-LAPD Officer Joe Buscaino, a former L.A. City Council member who represented the District 15, encompassing the harbor communities and a portion of South L.A., hoped the next police chief understood the diverse city of L.A. and its neighborhoods, and its needs.
Melina Abdullah, co-founder of Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles, also shared with Daily News that it’s “critical that there be adequate community input in the selection of that person,” who will lead the department.
Some L.A. City Council members have said they would like to see a person of color or a woman, a first for the department, to be appointed as the police chief.
Any appointment will need approval by Mayor Bass, and then by the full City Council.