WEARING MANY HATS
Interim police chief: There’s more to police work than fighting crime
Royal Oak Interim Police Chief Michael Moore has spent his entire career with the department, seeing it and the nature of police work change since he started as a patrol officer more than two decades ago.
“It seemed to shift from when I was brand new here and people would usually call only for police issues,” Moore said. “Now when they call and need help, we’re going to help them and it might not be a police issue.”
A senior citizen resident may need help with a technology issue after a daylight saving time change, or someone may need a hand with a minor emergency or task, he added.
“Royal Oak police (work) centers on customer service,” Moore said.
Moore was named interim police chief with the recent retirement of former Police Chief Corrigan O’Donohue, and will be in the running when City Manager Paul Brake selects the next police chief in the coming months.
Most people think about police work when they learn of crimes and arrests, or go to the voting booth when the city’s public safety millage is on the ballot. In Royal Oak, voters have approved the five-year millage three times since 2012.
For police officers, though, each day is different and involves more than crime-related complaints, Moore said.
“Our officers wear so many different hats,” he said, from marriage mediators to helping parents and sometimes offering a smiling face to someone in need.
“The thing that is important is communication skills,” Moore said. “That’s what we harp on over and over with our staff — communication and customer service.”
A family man with two young
daughters, Moore, 44, grew up in the small village of Brooklyn in the Irish Hills section of southeast Michigan in Jackson County.
He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in criminology from Michigan State University.
Moore was at the police academy when Royal Oak police were there recruiting and joined the force in 2000.
Over the years, he rose through the ranks. In 2007 he spent three years as part of a multi-jurisdictional task force with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, traveling and investigating drug crimes.
“It was a pretty exciting time,” Moore said, “getting to see the country and working with the DEA and local communities.”
After that he was a detective and said he decided to seek out leadership positions. Moore moved on to become a supervisor. Later, he served as a deputy police chief, first overseeing patrol operations, then staff services in the investigation bureau, along with equipment and records.
That’s the job he had last month when Brake selected Moore as interim police chief following O’Donohue’s retirement.
“Mike was the logical choice in my mind,” Brake said, “and one of the most senior people in command.
He has the institutional knowledge”
Shortly before Brake was named city manager in Royal Oak, he was working in the same position in Morgantown W. Va. Part of the vetting process included a police background check. Moore drove to Morgantown to meet with Brake.
“I was impressed with him right off the bat,” Brake said. “I appreciate he has an interest in becoming chief and we want someone with that drive.”
Still, Brake said the city will advertise for new chief candidates and he wants to talk with elected leaders and stakeholders in the city, among others, before naming a new chief.
“This is an important decision for the city,” Brake said. “Police work has become much more community oriented. It impacts many groups, from the court to faith-based groups. It is more about community problem solving.”
Police, like the communities they serve, are seldom static entities.
Moore noted that the police department in Royal Oak enjoys community support.
“My goal is to continue earning that trust,” he said. “I think one of the challenges (the department) is going to have is recruitment of new officers. That’s not specific to Royal Oak. The days of having hundreds and hundreds on application lists are gone, and we’re not going to change our standards.”