Tacoma Police Department

The Tacoma Police Department (TPD) is the primary law enforcement agency for the city of Tacoma, Washington, United States.[1] The TPD employs 334 sworn officers and 38 civilian employees.[2] The Chief of Police is Avery L. Moore.[3]

Tacoma Police Department
AbbreviationTPD
Agency overview
Formed1885
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionTacoma, Washington, United States
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersTacoma
Police Officers334
Civilians38
Agency executive
  • Avery L. Moore, Chief of Police
Website
www.cityoftacoma.org/page.aspx?nid=170
Tacoma Police Crown Victoria on Patrol

History edit

The Tacoma Police Department traces its history back to 1874 when the first town marshal was appointed.[citation needed]

Controversies and misconduct edit

On March 3, 2020, Manuel Ellis, a black man, died while in TPD custody. Ellis said "I can't breathe" several times before his death.[4] On 2 December 2023 Officers Matthew Collins and Christopher Burbank were found not guilty. The department offered them each a half million dollars to leave their jobs.[5]

In 2021, several people were hit by an officer in a police car, causing multiple injuries. The officer was responding to reports of vehicles doing doughnuts in the street. It was found that the officer acted in defense for himself and there was no wrongdoing as he was being attacked.[6][7][8]

References edit

  1. ^ Tacoma Police Department Official Website
  2. ^ [FBI UCR - Washington. (2017) Retrieved from https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2017/crime-in-the-u.s.-2017/tables/table-78/table-78-state-cuts/washington.xls]
  3. ^ Tacoma Police Chief's Welcome
  4. ^ Baker, Mike (June 5, 2020). "Before the Death of Manuel Ellis, a Witness Told the Police: 'Stop Hitting Him'". The New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  5. ^ "Washington state officers acquitted in death of Manuel Ellis to receive $500K to leave police department". NBC News. January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  6. ^ "Pedestrian run over by Tacoma officer surrounded by crowd; incident caught on camera". KIRO. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  7. ^ Alta Spells. "Tacoma police officer drives through crowd, leaving at least one person injured, officials say". CNN. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  8. ^ "Tacoma officer drives police car through crowd, injuring at least 2 in Washington state". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 24, 2021.

External links edit