Kenneth McCoy, retired police chief in Anchorage, Alaska, has been named chief of the Tempe Police Department. McCoy retired in 2022 as chief of the Anchorage department after 27 years of service.
He is a U.S. Army veteran and served 10 years in the Alaska Army National Guard. He was honorably discharged as a captain in 2000. McCoy has a Bachelor’s degree in justice from the University of Alaska Anchorage and a certificate in Leading Diversity from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the FBI National Executive Institute. “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,” said City Manager Andrew Ching, who announced the appointment. Currently, McCoy serves as a chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for Providence, a nonprofit healthcare organization in Alaska. While with the Anchorage department, he served in command assignments in the Patrol and Detective Divisions and Internal Affairs. He has experience as a detective and a detective supervisor of violent crimes.
“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. “Together, we’ll work to build an even safer, stronger and more united Tempe.” The search for a new Chief began in February following former Chief Jeff Glover’s appointment by Gov. Katie Hobbs to serve as director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Tempe invited applications from internal and external candidates. They were Josie Montenegro, interim Police Chief in Tempe; Tom Worthy, police chief in The Dalles, Ore.; and retired Phoenix Police Commander Tom Van Dorn. According to the Tempe City Charter, it is the city manager who has ultimate hiring authority for city employees, including hiring and management of the role of Police Chief.
“The Tempe Officers Assn. looks forward to working with Chief McCoy to keep Tempe safe and to create much-needed resources for the men and women answering the calls 24/7 every day,” said TOA President Sgt. Rob Ferraro. “We share the same goals – to make Tempe an example of how to work with the community as a 21st Century police force.” McCoy will begin work in Tempe on June 5.
