City of Tempe

Sylvia Moir

STEVE GOLDSTEIN: We learned from an abrupt announcement [Sept. 15] that the Tempe police chief is resigning. Chief Sylvia Moir was the first female chief of police in Tempe’s history. And KJZZ’s Jimmy Jenkins joins us to talk more about this. Jimmy, did the announcement come with any explanation?

JIMMY JENKINS: No, Steve. Ao far all we know is that Chief Moir will step down on Oct. 25. She had been in charge of the department since March of 2016. Like many cities, Tempe has faced calls from protesters to defund the police in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. The Tempe police department has been criticized for use of force incidents and the officers’ use of deadly force — so it’s unclear if the cumulative effect of all of that had an impact on Moir’s tenure at the department. But Tempe Mayor Corey Woods shared a statement praising Moir’s years of service and her contributions to the community.

GOLDSTEIN: So now it's time to pick her replacement. How will that process go?

JENKINS: A statement from the city of Tempe said the city manager had accepted Moir’s resignation and would appoint an interim chief. Mayor Woods said he will work with the city council and the city manager to select interim and permanent leadership at the police department.

HOST: That is KJZZ’s Jimmy Jenkins. Jimmy, thanks as always.

JENKINS:You’re welcome, Steve.

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