Dominic Choi receives appointment to serve as interim chief of LAPD
Dominic Choi stands behind a podium next to Mayor Karen Bass. Choi was appointed as the interim police chief of the Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday. (Courtesy of Office of Mayor Bass)
By Sharla Steinman
Feb. 7, 2024 4:57 p.m.
This post was updated Feb. 8 at 10:34 p.m.
Dominic Choi was appointed as interim chief of the Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday.
Choi will assume the position March 1 and will be the first Asian American to lead the LAPD. The LA Board of Police Commissioners unanimously approved his appointment to replace current LAPD Chief Michael Moore, who announced his retirement in January. Moore, who has served as chief since 2018, will remain in the position until the end of February.
“This appointment will continue our work to make Los Angeles safer,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a press release. “I look forward to working with Interim Chief Choi in the coming months as he provides steady and stable leadership for our police department.”
Choi began his career with the LAPD in 1995 and worked patrol assignments in a variety of divisions, eventually becoming a detective, sergeant and lieutenant. In 2014, he was promoted to captain, serving in areas including the northeast San Fernando Valley and the Westside. In 2017, he became commander of operations central bureau and later the department’s homeless coordinator. In 2019, he was promoted to deputy chief.