Tempe, AZ – Tempe City Manager Andrew Ching has appointed Jeff Glover to fill the permanent role as the city’s Police Chief following a nine-month period as Interim Chief.
Glover rejoined the department as Interim Chief in October 2020, after retiring from a 20-year career with Tempe Police. He is the city’s first African American Police Chief.
According to the Tempe City Charter, the City Manager has ultimate hiring authority for city employees, including hiring and management of the role of Police Chief. Ching decided that Glover’s performance in the interim role more than proved his ability to do the job.
“I believe I already have the best person to lead the Tempe Police Department in Chief Glover,” Ching said. “Last year, he immediately got to work to advance the department internally and externally. Chief Glover is respected by Police employees, community members and his peers locally and nationally – we already have so much to build on for the future with Jeff.”
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).
“I am humbled by the trust that you all – community members, fellow employees, City Manager Ching, and the City Council – have placed in me to lead this outstanding organization,” said Chief Glover. “Protecting and serving as a Tempe Police Officer for over two decades has been a blessing and a privilege. To be selected as permanent Chief of Police is the honor of a lifetime.”