Farewell, Chief Moore

At the informal Common Council meeting tonight, Chief Ed Moore made his final report to the Council.

Moore's report took the form of a letter, which he distributed to each councilmember and, after the meeting, shared with Gossips. The letter began in this way:

On April 24 I gave notice of my intent to retire from public service at the close of business on May 19 after my appointment as your police chief 10 years ago. Accordingly this will be my last presentation to our City Council. I am proud that over the last decade I have attended nearly all of the 120 or so police committee & informal meetings--I believe I have missed 2. From the beginning I have routinely delivered statistics and highlighted important events that impacted our city as well as your police department. I believe this transparency has kept our public informed and has better equipped our council to address the changing needs and concerns of our city.

We have been through a lot over the last 10 years. We moved our station after over 100 years on Warren Street. We lost Bill Wrigley. We had lively debates about SWAT, use of force and police reform, ICE and Sanctuary City, and drug raids. We came through a rough and violent 2017, as well as a pandemic. We also dealt with a frozen mannequin, bears, and the occasional wayward moose. Through it all your officers remained faithful to their duty--answering their calls and working those extra hours that all this demanded.

The Police Commissioner has informed me that Lt. Mishanda Franklin will be taking over as our new chief. I have full trust and confidence that Mishanda will complete her duties with the utmost integrity with a passion for the well-being of our citizens and our officers. Many here know that she is a product of this city and can personally attest to her intelligence, integrity, and kindness. All attributes that will serve her well in her new position. She will succeed in making this department better.

Moore's letter acknowledged examples of "underperformance" in his decade of service (there were three) before inventorying the many accomplishments. Among the former was this:

It was my hope back in 2013 that we could create a sustained highly visible foot patrol. While foot patrol hours were increased, we are still not at the level that I think the public would fully appreciate. Data shows us that a foot patrol doesn't necessarily prevent crime dramatically--for example during two violent shootings (10/13/17 and 5/16/20) our foot patrols were actively patrolling just a few yards from the incidents. Recently, foot patrols were in the area and close by then shots were fired on Columbia Street (01/23/23) and when The Maker's window was shot out (12/10/22). However we still acknowledge foot patrols enhance the person-to-person relationship with our citizens as well as addressing minor quality of life issues.

Moore's letter also addressed his concerns for the future, among them this:

The Council should look to remove 26 officer cap for HPD (C19-14, LL 2-2013). Looking to future, new large housing/apartment development will create a corresponding increase in calls for service. This will require more officers to answer calls. HPD has averaged 7,286 calls per year over the past 10 years with no severe fluctuations. This is a base line number that we should monitor. We should also look to lift C20-3 residency limit (20 miles) so we do not limit our already shrinking officer candidate pool.

Moore's last day as chief of the Hudson Police Department is Friday, May 19. Mishanda Franklin will be sworn in as chief of police on Monday, May 22, at 9:oo a.m.

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