Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk has announced the top three finalists for the Chief of Police position out of a field of 46 applicants.

In July, seven candidates were interviewed by three panels which included Community Stakeholders, Law Enforcement Partners, and City of Austin Executives. After consideration and feedback from the panels, City Manager Cronk has identified:

• Joseph Chacon, Interim Chief of Police, Austin Police Department
• Avery L. Moore, Assistant Chief, Dallas Police Department
• Emada E. Tingirides, Deputy Chief, Los Angeles Police Department

“I am confident these finalists will help the City of Austin cultivate relationships with our community, accomplish the City Council’s goals, and continue the progress of reimagining public safety in Austin,” said Cronk.

Opportunities to meet the top finalists and hear from them have been scheduled for:

• August 18, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
• August 19, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

These meetings will have in-person availability at Palmer Events Center, Exhibit Hall 2, or you can tune in live through ATXN.TV (ATXN1-English and ATXN3-Spanish), Cable TV Channel 6, U-Verse Channel 99, and KAZI FM 88.7. Masking and social distancing will be required for these meetings. The room capacity is limited to 100. Once we reach that limit, for the health and safety of all participants, we will not be able to allow additional people into the room. We strongly encourage residents to tune in through one of the broadcasting channels set up for you to hear from the finalists.

Any media planning to attend should email Deborah.Jennings@austintexas.gov, specifying which event(s) they are planning to attend, by the end of Monday, August 16. As an alternative to attending in person, TV outlets will be able to take a clean feed (without ATXN graphics) from ATXN2.

After meeting and listening to the candidates, the City will ask residents to provide their feedback online. More information about that process will be provided on speakupaustin.org/yournextpolicechief.

The City Manager hopes to announce a new Chief of Police before the end of September.

Candidate Bios (in alphabetical order)

Joseph Chacon – Joseph Chacon is the Interim Chief of Police with the Austin Police Department, a role he has served in for four months. Prior to his appointment, Chief Chacon served as an Assistant Chief for almost five years, overseeing Patrol, Special Operations, Specialized Patrol, Investigations, Intelligence, Professional Standards and Training/Recruiting.

Chacon has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences.  He is a graduate of PERF’s Senior Management Institute for Police, Texas State University’s Certified Public Manager Program, and MCCA’s Police Executive Leadership Institute

Avery L. Moore – Assistant Chief Avery L. Moore is a 30-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department and began his career as a patrol officer in 1990, serving in various assignments, including an instructor at the Dallas Police Academy. As a Lieutenant, Assistant Chief Moore served in the Crime Scene Response Unit, Traffic, and SWAT. Later he promoted to the rank of Major, overseeing a patrol division where he implemented programs that reduced the crime rate for twelve consecutive months. In 2017, Assistant Chief Moore received his first star and was named the Deputy Chief of the newly reorganized East Patrol Bureau. In 2019, Deputy Chief Moore earned his second star, becoming Assistant Chief of Police and assuming command of Investigations and Tactical. Currently, Assistant Chief Moore commands the Investigations Bureau.

He holds a Master’s Degree in Management from the University of Phoenix – Dallas, a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Cameron University, and an Associate Degree in Psychology from Cameron University.

Emada E. Tingirides – Emada E. Tingirides is a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Deputy Chief. In 1995, she joined the LAPD to serve the city her family called home for generations. Mayor Eric Garcetti and Chief of Police Michel Moore promoted Emada to Deputy Chief and she was named the Commanding Officer of the newly formed Community Safety Partnership Bureau (CSPB). The relationship-based public health approach policing model that defines CSPB was born to find new and innovative ways to build trust, relationships, and address quality of life issues in some of Los Angeles’ most underserved and challenging communities.

Tingirides holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice and an M.A. in Criminology, Law, and Society.