Want to know why Tacoma’s police chief was put on admin leave? Tough, city isn’t talking

Two days after Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore was placed on paid administrative leave , the city still has not made a public statement about the reasoning for the decision, and its City Council members appear to be in the dark or unwilling to divulge more information.

Phone calls to Moore’s personal phone number went straight to voicemail Friday, and a city spokesperson said that City Manager Elizabeth Pauli, to whom the police chief reports, was not available to speak. Pauli was apparently at a professional conference, but the spokesperson provided no further details.

“While we understand the level of public interest in this matter, the City doesn’t discuss personnel issues and won’t be making any additional statements at this time,” spokesperson Maria Lee said in an email. “As stated previously, Deputy Chief Paul Junger is now serving as Acting Chief.”

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, the chair of the Community Police Advisory Council, said he learned about it through an internal email. Both said the news took them by surprise.

“That was not the phone call I was expecting at all,” Scott said.

Council member John Hines, Tacoma’s deputy mayor, said that the city took the matter “very seriously” and he trusted Pauli was approaching it with the attention it deserved. Hines did not expect to be briefed on any particulars until the city’s process for handling personnel matters, which includes an investigation, had run its course.

“I know that 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 police chief or any one of our employees.”

Hines, who said he viewed Moore as professional and honest, also noted that the city was diligent about not releasing details prematurely in these situations in order to prevent potential misinformation.

Council member Kristina Walker told The News Tribune via email Friday: “I am not privy to any additional information. The city manager is managing the internal process.”

Council Member Sandesh Sadalge said in an email that he did not have a comment. Other council members contacted by The News Tribune through phone calls and email did not respond.

A Police Department spokesperson also did not have information to provide Friday on the reasoning behind Moore being placed on administrative leave. Detective William Muse reiterated that Junger is the acting chief, and the department is going to operate business as usual.

Moore has led the department since January 2022, replacing Don Ramsdell. Moore came to Tacoma from the Dallas Police Department, where he worked as assistant chief for the Investigations Bureau.

The Community Police Advisory Council 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 the chair of an advisory committee, he doesn’t feel entitled to more information than anyone else.

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

McKenzie said he’s had great experiences with Moore, and he felt the Police Department has been heading in the right direction under his leadership. Referring to Moore’s violent crime reduction plan , McKenzie said it isn’t just that the chief has delivered good numbers, he also feels that calls for service are being responded to more quickly, and he’s noticed that “a bunch” of homicides have recently been solved.

Scott said she hadn’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 people can have various opinions on the outcomes of our policing and all that,” Scott said. “Without getting into the weeds on that type of stuff, I’ve never experienced anything but him being professional. He shows up to our study sessions and our council meetings like the other department directors.”

Scott said she would tell Tacomans that she shares their concern and this isn’t something to take lightly but that the city has processes in place for a reason. She said she was sure an HR process was happening, and she was hopeful that she would learn more soon. Scott added that while Moore leads the Police Department, he’s one person, and there is a leadership structure to maintain consistent police services.

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

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