City of Austin Identifies Top Seven Candidates for Austin’s Next Police Chief
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Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk has announced the top seven candidates for the police chief position from a field of 46 applicants.
Are finalists for the position:
- Joseph Chacon
- Anne Kirkpatrick
- Avery L. Moore
- Celeste Murphy
- Mirtha V. Ramos
- Gordon Ramsay
- Emada E. Tingirides
The city manager hopes to announce a new police chief before the end of August.
The Chief of Police will oversee 1,809 sworn officers and 734 non-sworn professional employees and has a budget of $ 240.8 million for fiscal year 20-21. Like many large cities in America, Austin is rethinking the provision of public security services. Austin is taking a methodical and strategic approach to this process, and the next police chief will begin his job in a period of intense change for the Austin Police Department (APD). The challenges and opportunities in connection with this initiative alone are diverse. The police chief will help APD and the city adapt and reimagine law enforcement to improve public safety for everyone who lives, lives and works in Austin.
“I am delighted with the diverse personalities we have identified for this position,” said Cronk. “I look forward to discussing with you how we can achieve the goals of the community and the city council.”
A survey was published in March asking them to identify the skills and characteristics, background and experience, and top priorities that they think are most important to the next police chief. The responses to the survey helped determine the selection criteria for the position.
Cronk asked for additional feedback from community groups in April, including five online community input meetings and inaugural calls from the city’s 311 ministry.
“Thank you to everyone who took part in this process and shared their thoughts through online feedback, virtual meetings, or via 311,” said Cronk. “We received input that our community members want the next chief to have exceptional communication skills and create a dialogue with the community. You want the chief to be reform-minded, transparent, and have a track record of promoting community engagement and accountability. The selected candidates show these characteristics in different ways. “
Applications for the position are open on April 26th, 2021.
Interviews with the police chief’s candidates will take place over the coming weeks, with several opportunities for community input on the top finalists.
Candidate bios
Joseph Chacon – Joseph Chacon is the temporary police chief of the Austin Police Department, a role he has held for four months. Prior to his appointment, Chief Chacon served as assistant chief for nearly five years, overseeing Patrol, Special Operations, Specialized Patrol, Investigations, Intelligence, Professional Standards, and Training / Recruiting.
Chacon holds a Masters degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences. He is a graduate of PERF Senior Management Institute for Police, Texas State University’s Certified Public Manager Program, and MCCA’s Police Executive Leadership Institute.

Anne Kirkpatrick – Anne Kirkpatrick began her police career in 1982 in the Memphis Police Department. During her 38 years in the police force, she worked for 8 authorities, 4 of them as chief of police. She holds a BA in Business Administration, a Masters in Counseling, a law degree and has been a licensed attorney for 30 years. Kirkpatrick is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the FBI’s Law Enforcement Executive Development School, and the FBI’s National Executive Institute.

Avery L. Moore – Assistant Chief Avery L. Moore is a 30 year veteran of the Dallas Police Department who began his career as a patrol officer in 1990 with various roles including an instructor at the Dallas Police Academy. Assistant Chief Moore served as Lieutenant in the Crime Scene Response Unit, Traffic, and SWAT. He later rose to the rank of major and headed a patrol division, where he ran crime reduction programs for twelve consecutive months. In 2017 Assistant Chief Moore received his first star and was named deputy chief of the reorganized East Patrol Bureau. In 2019, Deputy Chief Moore earned his second star by becoming deputy chief of police and taking command of investigations and tactics. Assistant Chief Moore currently 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.

Celeste Murphy – Deputy Chief Celeste Murphy joined the Atlanta Police Department in 1997 and has served in all ranks of Patrol Officer, Detective, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, and Major. Appointed Deputy Head in January 2020, she heads the Community Services department
She has a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and a Master of Criminal Justice. Chief Murphy is a graduate of the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police and the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command.

Mirtha V. Ramos – Chief Mirtha V. Ramos began her police career in 1997 with the Miami-Dade Police Department. She served in a variety of roles including uniform patrol, investigation, emergency management, community police, and police administration. She rose through all ranks of the public service to her appointment to police major and then to division head and headed the department’s high liability functions. On November 4, 2019, Chief Ramos was appointed chief of the DeKalb County Police Department.
She holds a master’s degree in leadership psychology and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

Gordon Ramsay – Gordon Ramsay has served as the chief of police for fifteen years and is recognized nationwide for his work in policing, mental health, victim services, racial relations and reconciliation. He currently serves as the chief of the Wichita Police Department.
He has a BA in Criminology and Sociology, an MA in Management, is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, and serves on the board of directors of the Major City Chiefs Association.

Emada E. Tingirides – Emada E. Tingirides is assistant director of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). In 1995 she joined the LAPD to serve the city her family has called home for generations. Mayor Eric Garcetti and Police Commissioner Michel Moore promoted Emada to deputy chief and she was appointed commanding officer of the newly formed Community Safety Partnership Bureau (CSPB). The relationship-based police model of the public health approach 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 has a BS in Criminal Justice and an MA in Criminology, Law and Society.
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