Want to know why Tacoma’s police chief was placed on administrative leave? Tough, the city doesn’t talk

Two days after Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore was placed on paid administrative leave, the city has yet to make a public statement about the reasoning behind the decision, and City Council members appear to be in the dark or unwilling to divulge more information .

Phone calls to Moore’s personal phone number went to voicemail Friday, and a city spokesman said City Administrator Elizabeth Pauli, to whom the police chief reports, was unavailable to speak. Pauli was reportedly at a professional conference, but the spokesman did not provide further details.

“While we understand the level of public interest in this matter, the city does not discuss personnel matters and will not make any further statements at this time,” spokeswoman Maria Lee said in an email. “As previously stated, Deputy Chief Paul Junger is now Acting Chief.”

Mayor Victoria Woodards did not respond to a request for comment from The News Tribune.

City Council member Jamika Scott said she was informed of the decision Thursday in a phone call with Tacoma’s deputy city manager. Allen McKenzie, chairman of the Community Policing Advisory Committee, said he learned about it through an internal email. Both said the news took them by surprise.

“It wasn’t the call I was expecting at all,” Scott said.

“This is a very public department, so it’s worrying because we have so little information,” she added. “I understand if it’s a personnel matter and there might be things they can’t talk about publicly … but the silence leaves so much room for people to speculate.”

Council member John Hines, Tacoma’s vice mayor, said the city took the issue “very seriously” and he trusted Pauli to treat it with the attention it deserved. Hines did not expect to be informed of the details until the city’s process for handling personnel matters, which includes an investigation, has run its course.

“I know the police chief is a high-profile position, so the public expects us to respond differently,” Hines said in a brief interview. “This is the normal way we approach personnel matters in the city, whether you’re the chief of police or any of our employees.”

Hines, who said he sees Moore as professional and honest, also noted that the city has been diligent about not revealing details prematurely in these situations to prevent potential misinformation.

Bishop Dr. Lawrence White, spokesman for the Tacoma/Pierce County Coalition, told the News Tribune Friday night that he spoke with Pauli earlier in the day about the situation involving Moore.

Last month, the coalition formally asked the Justice Department to open an investigation into the police department for widespread excessive force and discriminatory policing. White said Friday that the problem was a system inherited by Moore and others that has long been divisive and destructive to the black community.

Pauli told White on Friday that a staff investigation into Moore could be “very short” or take up to two weeks, White said.

The wide time frame for an investigation and the lack of any details about Moore’s placement on administrative leave frustrated White, who said it effectively left the door open to speculation about what might have happened and raised transparency issues in the city.

“This just erodes trust,” White said.

Other city leaders said little of substance. Council member Kristina Walker told The News Tribune via email Friday: “I am not aware of any additional information. The city manager manages the internal process.”

Council member Olgy Diaz offered a longer statement:

“I remain unaware of the circumstances surrounding the police chief’s administrative leave,” Diaz said in an email provided by Lee, the spokesman. “I understand and share the community’s frustration and desire for transparency. The lack of information breeds mistrust, not only in law enforcement, but also in the city administration as a whole. While I appreciate the need for privacy in personnel matters, I believe we must strike a balance between protecting individual privacy and upholding the public’s right to know.

“The importance of a position should not prevent open communication, especially when it relates to the leadership of our police force. I will continue to push for more transparency regarding the timing of the Chief’s absence. I urge my colleagues in city leadership to recognize that open communication is essential to rebuilding trust. In the meantime, I ask for the community’s patience. Jumping to conclusions without all the facts serves no one.”

Council member Sandesh Sadalge said in an email that he had no comment. Other board members reached by The News Tribune via phone calls and email did not respond.

A Police Department spokesman also had no information available Friday about the reasoning behind placing Moore on administrative leave. Detective William Muse reiterated that Junger is the acting chief and the department will operate as usual.

Moore has been leading the department since January 2022, replacing Don Ramsdell. Moore came to Tacoma from the Dallas Police Department, where he served as assistant chief of the Bureau of Investigations.

The Community Policing Advisory Board is made up of Tacoma residents and is tasked with advising the city on police policy and reviewing complaints against officers. McKenzie said he would like to know more, but as chairman of an advisory committee, he doesn’t feel entitled to any more information than anyone else.

“This is not something the city has sought our advice on, nor would I expect them to,” McKenzie said. “I assume there is some kind of investigation going on. I have no idea what that would entail. And I assume he’ll be on leave until the investigation is over, but that’s just speculation.”

McKenzie said he had great experiences with Moore and felt the Police Department was headed in the right direction under his leadership. Referring to Moore’s violent crime reduction plan, McKenzie said it’s not just that the chief has provided good numbers, he also believes calls for service are being responded to more quickly and noted that “a lot ” of homicides have been recently. solved.

Scott said she hasn’t had many in-depth conversations with Moore, and her interactions with him don’t tell her much about the validity of him being placed on leave.

“I feel like people can have different opinions about the results of our police and all that,” Scott said. “Without getting into the weeds of that kind of stuff, I’ve never experienced anything other than being professional. He shows up at our study sessions and our board meetings like the other department heads.”

Scott said he will tell Tacomans that he shares their concern and that this is not something to be taken lightly, but that the city has processes in place for a reason. She said she’s sure there’s an HR process going on and hopes to learn more soon. Scott added that while Moore leads the Police Department, he is one person and there is a leadership structure in place to keep police services consistent.

Both Scott and McKenzie said they have so far not tried to find out more about the decision. Scott said after being briefed Thursday, her feeling was that she didn’t want to bombard city leaders because she was sure there was a lot going on, but made it clear she was concerned and would be interested in learning more.

“I really don’t know what to believe. We haven’t really been given any details,” Scott said.

Writer Shea Johnson contributed to this report.