Vancouver Police Chief Jeff Mori announces upcoming retirement

July 17, 2024

Police Chief Jeff Mori will retire from his position with the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) effective October 11. Mori, who was sworn in as VPD chief in June 2022, will leave after more than five years with the department and more than 31 years of work in law enforcement.

His reasons for retiring are personal, including his desire to step back from the pressures of the leadership duties and responsibilities of his position, to reassess his work-life balance and to spend more time with his family.

“I have enjoyed my time at VPD, so my decision to resign was extremely difficult. It has nothing to do with the impending change in leadership at City Hall,” Chief Mori said. “A police chief must be resilient and emotionally healthy. Over the past 12 months, repeated experiences of trauma, emotion, tragedy and constant worry have worn me down. After each of these events, despite my best efforts to compensate, I have lost some resilience.”

Mori’s accomplishments as VPD chief include:

Working with the City Manager’s Office on developing a police and public safety tax (Proposition 4), which the City Council put to a vote this week for the November 5 election
Oversee the deployment of the VPD camera program
Working to increase diversity among VPD staff and improve community engagement
Oversee the recruiting and hiring of over 75 VPD officers and employees
Play a central role in advocating for and supporting the creation of a regional criminal justice training academy in Southwest Washington
Expanding the comprehensive use of technology to improve the effectiveness of police services

“Chief Mori has been a strategic and thoughtful leader for the VPD. I thank Chief Mori for his service, hard work and dedication to the entire community,” said City Manager Eric Holmes. “Over the past two years, he has been a steady and compassionate leader, committed to working with the community to increase transparency, accountability and fairness while improving police-community relations.”

Vancouver City Council will soon have to choose the next city manager to replace Eric Holmes, who is retiring in October. Holmes plans to consult closely with his successor to determine how he wants to choose Vancouver’s next police chief.

Media contacts:

Tim Becker, Strategic Communications Manager [email protected], 360-831-3240

Kim Kapp, Vancouver Police Department Public Affairs Officer, [email protected], 360-487-7490