From cold to hot: Ken McCoy hired to be chief of police in Tempe, Arizona

By
Suzanne Downing
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5

Anchorage’s former police chief Ken McCoy is the new police chief for Tempe, Arizona. The news was first reported by KTAR radio news.

“McCoy comes to the East Valley city after spending 27 years with the Anchorage Police Department before retiring in 2022,” the station reported.

McCoy left the Municipality of Anchorage last year and then worked as the chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion officer for Providence Medical Center Alaska..

He beat three other finalists including the interim Tempe police chief Josie Montenegro, the station said. His first day will be June 5, according to the City of Tempe press release.

“I’m honored to be joining the Tempe Police Department as its new chief and I can’t wait to connect with the community,” McCoy said in the release.

Together, we’ll work to build an even safer, stronger and more united Tempe.”

McCoy, just hours after leaving his job as police chief of Anchorage, appeared in uniform in an ad endorsing gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker, who eventually lost in November of 2022. He is a longtime Alaskan who graduated from Bartlett High School and attended the New Mexico Military Institute before serving for a decade in the Alaska Army National Guard.

Hours after leaving as chief of Anchorage Police, former chief appears in APD uniform endorsing Walker, an ethics violation

“Being a good Police Chief takes law enforcement expertise, management skills, leadership abilities and an abundance of character,” Tempe City Manager Andrew Ching said in the release. “Kenneth McCoy has those attributes and many more.”

“I have every confidence that he will solidly lead the Tempe Police Department into the future.”

Anchorage Police Chief McCoy resigns, has another offer that pays better

5 COMMENTS

  1. Well, I’ve known him for year – decades. He endorsed Walker for a second stint as Governor after the disaster that was his first. Not as smart as a thought.

  2. He’s your quintessential affirmative action hire. Always has been, always will be. Trust me, he was an idiot from the day APD hired him.

  3. If those who ranaway toward such Arizona, texas, arkansas, idaho,tennessee were to leave and returned to their last broken state, this nation might have a chance.

  4. Yeah, take that retirement check to a sunny climate to retire into a job and screw it up like the one you left. The guy is a cradle to the grave government leech.

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