Mayor Victoria Woodards voices support for TPD Chief Avery Moore: ‘Not lost my trust’

Over the past week, questions have swirled around why Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore was placed on administrative leave last week. One thing is now clear: He hasn’t lost the mayor’s confidence.

Mayor Victoria Woodards said Thursday that she “fully support[s]” Moore, who returned to work the day before.

“He’s not lost my trust at all,” Woodards told The News Tribune. “I fully support the chief and fully support his leadership and look forward to him continuing to lead our police department. Period.”

City Manager Elizabeth Pauli announced Wednesday, Oct. 2, that an investigation had been launched into Moore’s personal use of a city asset, the newspaper previously reported. She verbally counseled the chief ahead of his return.

In a statement Wednesday evening, Woodards said she appreciates the community’s interest and desire to be informed about city matters, as well as their understanding and patience.

Staff handle administrative matters and personnel issues, she said Thursday, which must be done in a way that’s “respectful of the administrative process.” The mayor emphasized that the city is working to create a more open and transparent government that people can trust.

“I wanted to thank everyone for their interest and acknowledge that this is frustrating,” she said.

“But I’m glad that our city manager handled the matter in a way that focused on our process of how we handle human-resource issues, and hope that the community will continue to trust us and know that we are always trying to do the right thing and share as much information as we have when we can share it.”

The investigation into Moore has been concluded, Woodards said. A formal written report will be available to the public once it is compiled, although it’s unclear when that would be.