Tempe has named the former police chief of Anchorage, Alaska, to lead its law enforcement effort.

City Manager Andrew Ching announced Monday, April 17, that Kenneth McCoy will take over as the Tempe chief of police on June 5.

McCoy was among four finalists for the job that included interim Police Chief Josie Montenegro.

“Being a good police chief takes law enforcement expertise, management skills, leadership abilities and an abundance of character. Kenneth McCoy has those attributes and many more,” Ching said.

“I have every confidence that he will solidly lead the Tempe Police Department into the future. My sincere thanks go to all of the Tempe police employees, city employees and community members who contributed their insights to the search process.”

The search for a new chief began in February following former Chief Jeff Glover’s appointment by Gov. Katie Hobbs to serve as director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

“I’m honored to be joining the Tempe Police Department as their new chief, and I can’t wait to connect with the community,” McCoy said.

“Together, we’ll work to build an even safer, stronger and more united Tempe.”

McCoy retired in 2022 as chief of the Anchorage Police Department after 27 years of service with the department.

He is a U.S. Army veteran and served 10 years in the Alaska Army National Guard and was honorably discharged as a captain in 2000, according to a Tempe release.

McCoy has a bachelor’s degree in justice from the University of Alaska Anchorage and a certificate in Leading Diversity from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the FBI National Executive Institute.

“The TOA looks forward to working with Chief McCoy to keep Tempe safe and to create much-needed resources for the men and women answering the calls 24/7 every day,” Tempe Officers Association President Sgt. Rob Ferraro said.

“We share the same goals – to make Tempe an example of how to work with the community as a 21^st century police force.”

McCoy now serves as a chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for Providence, a nonprofit healthcare organization in Alaska.

While with the Anchorage Police Department, he served in command assignments in the patrol and detective divisions and internal affairs.