Newly selected Tempe City Police Chief Sylvia Moir said she had never thought of working in law enforcement until she rode with a female police officer.
In that moment, Moir realized she had found her calling in servicing people in the community.
“It was really there that I realized that this is my calling," Moir
Moir said she hopes to use the same
“What I love about policing on the local level is that I get to know communities and individuals and serve them in a human way,” Moir said.
Despite being in a male-dominated field, Moir has managed to break down barriers in law enforcement.
Although the Department of Justice reports that only 13 percent of law enforcement officials are women, Moir said they are valuable to the force.
"I think women have social permission to be really compassionate with people but there's also a double vice because we're in a very masculine field which requires us to be very fit and tactically sound," said Moir. "At the same time we exercise what makes us women and those are the more feminine traits that's leading people."
When Moir takes the reins, she will not only work with the City of Tempe, but also ASU, which comprises a majority of the city. She said her first priority is to establish a positive relationship with ASU PD, a relationship that many universities in cities don’t have.
“One of the most important relationships is between ASU and the City of Tempe Police,” Moir said. “I believe we need to have shared purpose, shared resources and we need to work together to make ASU and the community thrive together."
Moir, who grew up in college town in California, said she's seen first-hand how important relationships between universities and college towns are, especially when it comes to public safety.
“A university town has to be close, collaborative partners for good so students can be in a safe environment to thrive and learn and the community can support the university and the university can support the community,” she said.
City of Tempe Spokeswoman Nikki Ripley said the process of selecting the new police chief took a lot of time, where city officials wanted to make sure the community and city employees were able to speak to get to meet the police chief candidates.
“There were stages of the process, public and employee opportunities to meet them (candidates) and talk to them about a range of issues that about public safety,” she said. "The city manager ultimately felt that Moir distinguished herself throughout that process."
Sgt. Lauren Caputo said when Moir first joined the El Cerrito Police Department, she asked everyone — both the public and city employees — to call her by her first name, instead of calling her “Chief.”
Caputo said action alone made Moir seem very personable, which foreshadowed other valuable acts.
Caputo reflected on the time when Moir took office in El Cerrito and how she met with every employee — from police officers to supporting staff.
“She met with everybody individually,” Caputo said. “She genuinely wanted to hear what was working well in our (organization) and what we felt we could improve on.”
Caputo said Moir would always be working not only during the weekdays, but also on weekends and holidays and late night to ensure the community was being well-served.
“She has a tremendous work ethic,” Caputo said. “She has a really good knack for remembering minute, small things about people that are important. She understands people.”
Caputo said Moir’s leave is bittersweet, but the values and principles she used in the city of El Cerrito will be beneficial to Tempe.
“We’re really gonna miss her,” Caputo said. “Tempe is
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