City Hall, Elected Officials Praise Retiring Police Chief Moody

Local officials praised soon-to-be retired Police Cheryl Moody.

Moody announced last week she plans to retire later this month. She served as police chief since rotating into the job in January.

Moody is the first woman in the police department’s more than 130-year history to serve as chief.

Pasadena Deputy Chief Cheryl Moody congratulates Frankie Washington for being a candidate to receive a HP laptop from the Pasadena Police Foundation during an event at the Pasadena Police Department, on Thursday, July 8, 2021. [Photo by James Carbone]

“I would like to congratulate and thank Chief Cheryl Moody for her decades of contributions to the Pasadena Police Department and the city of Pasadena,” said Mayor Victor Gordo.

“I know all Pasadena residents join me in wishing Chief Moody and her family the best as she opens the next chapter of her life.”

She was hired as a police officer with Pasadena Police Department in 1992 after serving three years in the United States Air Force and working four years with the Long Beach Police Department.

Moody possesses nearly three decades of policing experience, leading many high-performing teams over the years, including the Special Enforcement Section. She has served on Pasadena Police Department’s Executive Command Staff for five years and has held executive board positions with local and national chapters of The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). She currently serves as the president of the Los Angeles County Chapter of Women Leaders in Law Enforcement (WLLE).

Moody and Cmdr. Jason Clawson were chosen to rotate into the chief’s position by City Manager Cynthia Kurtz. The move was criticized by some local residents that thought Moody should have been given the position until a new police chief was chosen.

“It’s not what you say to a person that has the most value, it is how you make them feel by what you do and demonstrate,” said Councilmember John Kennedy. “I suppose Interim Police Chief Cheryl Moody is feeling a little undervalued right now and that is why, in part, she has decided to retire. That is simply my informed speculation.”

“Her retirement is a significant loss of gender and ethnic diversity in the Pasadena Police Department which must be addressed and corrected with all deliberate speed.”

“Certainly, Interim Police Chief Moody has enjoyed an illustrious career with the Pasadena Police Department. She is a resident of Pasadena. She has served the Pasadena community with honor, distinction and respect.

Pasadena Police Commander Cheryl Moody at the San Gabriel Valley Chapter National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) in 2017. “What’s important about hosting the Black History Breakfast is that it brings us all together, it gives insight into black history in and of itself. We have this breakfast to share our historical events and what African Americans lend to society as a whole,” Moody said. [Screengrab from video by James Macpherson / Pasadena Now]

“We congratulate Interim Police Chief Cheryl Moody on her 30 years of service to our community. We wish her the best and God’s speed on the next leg of her extraordinary and pioneering journey.”

During her time as interim police chief, Moody made promotions throughout the department. Currently the police department’s vacancy rate is the lowest it’s been in many years.

Additionally, efforts were made to hire locally. Moody also brought back a former department employee who currently serves as a liaison to help strengthen relationships with the community.

Moody is a founding member of the San Gabriel Valley Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), which started in 2003. She also served on the NOBLE executive board and is the former vice president for Region 6, which covers six western states. This year, Chief Moody completed a two-year term as the president of Women Leaders in Law Enforcement of Los Angeles County.
During her career with Pasadena Police Department, Chief worked several assignments, including Patrol; Neighborhood Crime Task Force; Research & Development; Police Activities League (PAL); Detectives Unit; Employment Services; Internal Affairs; and Special Enforcement Section, where she was the first female sergeant to complete SWAT school.

Prior to her promotion to police commander, Chief Moody served as the department’s SWAT commander.

“I would like to thank Chief Moody for accepting the interim chief position. She has shown true leadership and has been responsive to community needs. It has been a pleasure to work with her. I know I speak for everyone at City Hall in wishing her well in her retirement,” says Interim City Manager Cynthia Kurtz.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued a statement Thursday praising Moody.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Chief Moody,” Barger said.

“Her commitment to both the rank-and-file police officers she has led and the community she has tirelessly served is admirable and reflects her commitment to public service. Chief Moody has also been a strong role model for women. Having achieved the rank of chief in one of the largest cities in Los Angeles County is no small feat. I thank Chief Moody for her service and wish her well in her retirement.”
In a statement issued on Thursday, Moody said her goal has been to strengthen the relationship between the men and women of the Pasadena Police Department and the community.

“I hope that through my tenacity, hard work, diligence and willingness to push forward that I served as a role model for females—particularly women of color—who desire to reach the pinnacle of their careers. For centuries, women have learned that things don’t always come as easy for them as they do their male counterparts. But as we continue to shatter glass ceiling after glass ceiling, we can see the sky and visualize that there are no limits—even through adversity, unequal treatment and injustice. We must not forget the courageous women who paved the way, and on whose shoulders we stand.”