New leadership in Tacoma: Patti Jackson sworn in as interim police chief
Mar 19, 2025, 4:16 PM | Updated: Mar 20, 2025, 6:29 pm
Then-interim Tacoma Police Chief Patti Jackson being sworn in on March 19, 2025. (Photo: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio)
(Photo: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio)
The city of Tacoma has a new police chief. Patti Jackson was sworn in Wednesday morning as interim chief.
“This is an honor,” Jackson said. “I take this responsibility very seriously, and I am proud to wear the uniform I’m wearing today.”
A career law enforcement officer, Jackson has served 35 years with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. She was sworn in by former police chief Don Ramsdale.
“I worked with her throughout my career when she worked for the Pierce County Jail and interacted with her quite a bit,” Ramsdale said. “She’s developed herself as a leader and I know she’s a good listener and communicator and I think she will add great value to the department.”
Although her position is interim, Jackson has made it clear she would like to remove “interim” from her title.
“I am very interested,” she said. “I’m here to stay. I want to serve the community as long as the department and the community is getting what it needs from me as a leader.”
Related from MyNorthwest: Patti Jackson steps in as Tacoma’s interim police chief after delayed start
Interim Tacoma Police Chief Patti Jackson replaces Avery Moore
Jackson replaces Avery Moore, who resigned in January.
Moore was placed on administrative leave back in September.
“The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH reported in January that Moore had been absent from duty for nearly two months, but the city said it could not provide an explanation. Police union leadership expected an imminent separation announcement ahead of Moore’s resignation.
The absence coincided with a brutal employee engagement survey blasting the former chief’s leadership in addition to accusations of “cooking the books” to reclassify drive-by shootings as “vandalism.” The situation escalated to the point where the union head called for his termination.
Jackson will serve at least until a new chief is selected. As she made clear, she hopes that replacement is her.
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Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest
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