Tempe Appoints Jeff Glover as Interim Police Chief

Tempe City Manager Andrew Ching has selected retired Tempe Police Commander Jeff Glover to serve for one year as Tempe’s interim police chief beginning Oct. 12.

Glover, who retired in February after a 20-year career with Tempe Police, will be the city’s first African American Police Chief. Ching said that Glover will bring expertise, enthusiasm and a desire to collaborate with the community to the new role.

According to the Tempe City Charter, it is the City Manager who has ultimate hiring authority for city employees, including hiring and management of the role of Police Chief. The City Council, according to the Charter, has no authority in any hiring and management decisions, except for the appointed employee roles of City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk and Presiding Judge.

“Jeff is a consummate professional who has impressive public safety credentials and experience, is well respected by residents and peers, and has a unique ability to collaborate and bring people together,” Ching said. “I look forward to working with him and seeing what he brings to the Tempe Police Department.”

The interim role is expected to last until October 2021. Next year, Ching will lead a public process to hire a permanent chief; the details about that process will be released in the future. According to Glover’s agreement as Interim Chief, he will be able to apply for the permanent role when it is officially opened.

Glover has a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Northern Arizona University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Phoenix. He began as a Mesa Police patrol officer in 1998, and after joining Tempe Police in 1999, Glover held increasingly responsible roles in various divisions of the department, including about four years as a Commander over areas such as the Professional Standards Bureau, Organizational Services Division and Criminal/Special Investigations and SWAT.

Since June 2018, Glover has served as a Governor-appointed Commissioner on the Arizona Commission for African American Affairs. He also has served as a national board member and Arizona chapter member for the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).

Glover said that he admires and thanks the sworn and civilian professionals of the Tempe Police Department for their dedication and commitment to protecting the community.

“This is an incredible moment and opportunity for me to contribute to the department and the city I love so much,” Glover said. “My professional life has been about serving others and I want to once again bring my passion for service to this community and to my Tempe Police sisters and brothers. We can and will rise to this occasion and will work together to hear and implement what our community expects from policing in this new day.”