Police Chief Jeff Walther has been appointed interim assistant city manager of Scottsdale, effective Jan. 27.

Interim City Manager Greg Caton made the announcement Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 21, in an email update to city staff.

Walther began serving the Scottsdale community in 1994 as a patrol officer and then started ascending the ranks of the Scottsdale Police Department over the next three decades, ultimately becoming Police Chief in late 2020, the announcement outlines. 

Caton noted Walther’s executive-level leadership has been recognized during his tenure with accolades such as “Chief of the Year” for the state of Arizona in 2022, awarded by the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police, and the 2024 City of Scottsdale Bill Donaldson Award for Leadership and Innovation.

“Jeff brings a wealth of experience in leadership, collaboration, communication, problem solving, organizational transformation and culture building to the assistant city manager position that will be invaluable to the larger organization as we move forward,” Caton said in the announcement.

As interim assistant city manager, Walther will initially oversee the functions of Communications and Human Resources. Additionally, he will retain oversight of the Police Department in this new role; however, an interim police chief from within the organization will be selected to step in for Walther as he moves to the City Manager’s Office. He will take on additional department responsibilities as additional organizational changes may occur in the coming weeks and months, the announcement continued.

“This appointment is focused on continued stability in key areas, and on succession planning for the long-term strength of our organization,” Caton said in the release. “I am very excited to add Jeff’s leadership and perspective to the City Manager’s Office. I have found from my initial days with the city that Jeff is a tremendous leader and has an incredible amount of management experience that can benefit an even greater number of our employees throughout the organization.”

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