The city of Tempe announced the appointment of Kenneth McCoy as the next chief of police on April 17.
McCoy comes to Tempe after retiring from his position as chief of police in Anchorage, Alaska in 2022, ending a 27-year tenure in their department. He also served as the chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for Providence Alaska, which is a non-profit organization that runs hospitals and care centers in the state.
"I'm honored to be joining the Tempe Police Department as their new chief, and I can't wait to connect with the community," McCoy said in a statement. "Together, we'll work to build an even safer, stronger and more united Tempe."
McCoy is a U.S. Army veteran and served for 10 years in the Alaska Army National Guard. He is also a graduate from the FBI National Academy and the FBI National Executive Institute.
Andrew Ching, the Tempe city manager, has overseen the search for a new chief of police since the departure of former chief Jeff Glover, who left to be director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety in February. The city manager is responsible for the hiring and managing of the role of police chief as stated in the Tempe City Charter.
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McCoy was chosen out of three other final candidates; Josie Montenegro, interim police chief in Tempe; Tom Worthy, police chief in The Dalles, Oregon; and retired Phoenix Police Commander Tom Van Dorn. McCoy will begin the position on June 5.
In a statement, Ching said he is confident in McCoy's ability to lead Tempe's police force.
"Being a good police chief takes law enforcement expertise, management skills, leadership abilities and an abundance of character. Kenneth McCoy has those attributes and many more," Ching said. "I have every confidence that he will solidly lead the Tempe Police Department into the future."
Edited by Shane Brennan, Reagan Priest and Anusha Natarajan.
Reach the reporter at pjhogan2@asu.edu and follow @PhineasHogan on Twitter.
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