Editorial: With Chief Moore on the way out, Mayor Bass should remake LAPD
In the more than five years since Michel Moore became Los Angeles’ chief of police, this city has endured (along with the rest of the nation) a global pandemic, public health lockdowns, protests and riots over the murder of George Floyd, heated debates over the purpose and proper methods of policing, an uptick and then plunge in homicides, concerns about retail theft.
It’s plenty for any law enforcement professional, let alone the chief of one of the nation’s largest cities.
The decision on whether to reappoint LAPD Chief Michel Moore to a second five-year term is about more than him. It’s about L.A.’s entire approach to public safety.
Moore’s announcement Friday afternoon that he will step down next month is the right move, and gives Mayor Karen Bass an opportunity to reshape public safety in Los Angeles in a way that better serves its people. We’re looking forward to her making the most of it.
Soon after she took office, the mayor began sounding out Angelenos on their thoughts about policing, crime and safety. Look for that process to be stepped up, along with a nationwide search for a new chief befitting a great city and uncertain times.
Bass’ first year was devoted, properly so, to addressing homelessness, L.A.’s No. 1 challenge and an integral part of any public safety program. She reappointed Moore to a second term precipitously. But the chief said he wouldn’t be sticking around for the full five years, and as it turns out this timing is perfect.
Chief Michel Moore’s plan not to serve out a full second term is exactly the kind of thing L.A. has a right to hear before any decision on reappointment.
Now Bass should be ready to take on the task, along with all of Los Angeles’ leaders, of protecting the city and making residents feel safe using the proper public safety tools: armed officers, unarmed outreach teams, and red light cameras and all the other resources that L.A.’s civic spirit and creativity can muster.
Bass is not an abolish-the-police mayor, and thank goodness. But she is a committed police reformer and has spent her political career pushing for a more fair, equitable and humane criminal justice system.
It’s to Bass’ credit that she is seeking input from Angelenos. She’s the mayor, though, and ultimately the city will look to her to articulate a vision for the police department’s role in the broader public safety picture.
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