Vancouver police Chief Jeff Mori announced Wednesday he intends to retire in the fall, after two years at the helm of the department.
The city’s announcement cited Mori’s motivation to retire as personal, saying he wishes to spend more time with family and step away from the stress of the job.
He has spent 31 years in law enforcement, of which five were with the Vancouver Police Department. He was sworn in as chief in June 2022, after he was selected from a pool of local and faraway applicants.
“I have cherished my time with VPD, so my decision to step down was extremely difficult,” Mori said in a news release. “A police chief must be resilient and emotionally healthy. In the past 12 months, repeated experiences of trauma, emotion, tragedy and constant worrying have worn me down. After each of these events, as much as I tried to compensate, I lost some resiliency.”
The chief said his decision is not related to the change in leadership in the city, despite his announcement coming on the heels of the city posting finalists for the city manager’s job. Both Mori and current City Manager Eric Holmes plan to retire Oct. 11.
“Chief Mori has been a strategic and thoughtful leader for the VPD. I thank Chief Mori for his service, work and dedication to the entire community,” Holmes said in the news release. “During the last two years, he has been a steady and compassionate leader, committed to working with the community to increase transparency, accountability and equity, while improving police and community relations.”
The city said Holmes intends to help his successor determine steps for finding Mori’s replacement.
City officials touted Mori’s accomplishments Wednesday, including the implementation of a body-worn camera program, the hiring of more than 75 new officers and staffers, the increase in diversity at the agency, and his support for the regional law enforcement training academy.
