[dropcap size=big]M[/dropcap]ichel "Mike" Moore, who is 58 years old, received a $1.27 million retirement payout in January before being appointed six months later as the new chief of the Los Angeles Police department, an L.A. Times investigation found.
The disclosure puts a cloud over Moore’s early tenure, raising doubts about his vetting process and Mayor Eric Garcetti’s decision to hire Moore over two other finalists, including Deputy Chief Robert Arcos, who was on track to become the city’s first Latino chief of police.
The other candidate was Bill Scott, a African American and LAPD veteran who had left to take over the troubled San Francisco Police Department more than a year ago.
LAPD was already dealing with the fall-out from a controversy over a taxpayer-funded security gig for five officers at the wedding of City Council President Herb Wesson's son late last year. And questions over the shooting deaths of innocent bystanders in two separate hostage situations earlier this year.
The investigation by The Times revealed Moore was able to return to work despite officially retiring as deputy chief through a program informally called “the bounce,” which gives the chief of police the authority to bring back retirees for up to a year in rare cases. The paper reported: