The Rochester City News by Christine Carrie Fien -- November 5, 2010
Well, something stinks. In a hastily arranged press conference this afternoon, Mayor Bob Duffy announced that Rochester Police Chief David Moore would be stepping down effective Monday. Moore was not present at the press conference. James Sheppard has been named acting chief. Sheppard is director of the city's Office of Public Integrity and is former director of Safety and Security at the Rochester City School District. He is also a former Rochester police officer. Duffy was evasive when repeatedly asked why Moore is leaving or if Moore's departure is voluntary. He said the reasons are personal and confidential and Moore could answer media questions if he chose to. Duffy said that as far as he knows, Moore does not have another job lined up. He said that Moore's departure is "our decision," meaning his and Moore's. Duffy said Moore has "done nothing wrong" and has provided "outstanding service" to the city. Also present at the press conference were Council President Lovely Warren and Council member Adam McFadden, who is head of Council's Public Safety Committee. It seems clear that the decision happened quickly, because McFadden said he didn't know beforehand what Duffy's announcement was going to be. Warren said that Duffy called her to tell her about the decision, but would not say when that call took place. Sheppard's appointment as acting chief must be approved by City Council. Sheppard says he will seek the job on a permanent basis. Moore will serve as director of the city's Office of Public Integrity until the end of the year. The OPI is essentially the internal affairs office for the City of Rochester.
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Rochester police chief quits suddenly
The Associate Press - November 6, 2010
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — The surprise resignation of the police chief in New York's third-largest city has local officials wondering what precipitated the move. The shake-up at the Rochester police department unfolded Friday afternoon when Police Chief David Moore met with Mayor Robert Duffy and agreed to step down. "Things developed over time," Moore said. "I don't think it would be appropriate to discuss my conversation with the mayor." In a separate news conference, Duffy said Moore "has done nothing wrong" and praised him as "a good man." Neither gave a reason for the sudden resignation, which was reported by the Democrat and Chronicle newspaper. Former Deputy Chief James Sheppard will take over as acting chief. Sheppard currently runs Rochester's Office of Public Integrity. City Councilman Adam McFadden said Saturday that he was puzzled by Moore's ouster, especially since Duffy will leave the city in January to be the state's lieutenant governor. Duffy, a former police chief, ran for lieutenant governor on the winning ticket with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo. McFadden said he was surprised that Duffy did not leave key people in place, since a new mayor will likely want his or her own people. With a population of 219,773, Rochester is New York's third most-populous city after New York City and Buffalo.
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