Charles Moose Death: Charles Moose, 68-year-old, former Montgomery County Police Chief and Author, who became the public face of the investigation into the Beltway Sniper rampage that terrorized the D.C. region, died on Thursday, November 25, 2021. He was best known for his role as being the primary official in charge of the efforts to apprehend the D.C. snipers in October 2002. During his law enforcement career, Moose served as the chief of police for Montgomery County, Maryland, and Portland, Oregon. He was also an American author.
He was born Charles Alexander Moose on August 4, 1953, in New York City. His family moved to Lexington, North Carolina, shortly after he was born and was raised there. He lived and attended school there until leaving for college. his mother passed away when he was age 16, and in his early twenties, his father also died. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in U.S. History in 1975 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In the same year, he joined the Portland Police Bureau in Portland, Oregon, as a patrol officer. He then earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Portland State University in 1984, and a Ph.D. in urban studies and criminology in 1993. He was the first Black police chief of Portland, Oregon, in the 1990s before he became the Montgomery County chief in 1999.
He became the police chief of the Portland Police Bureau from 1993 to 1999. He also taught at Portland State University. On August 2, 1999, he became the 15th Chief of the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland. Until 2005, Moose served as the Squadron Commander of the 113th Security Forces Squadron, D.C. Air National Guard, United States Air Force. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and served as the 154th Security Forces Commander in Hawaii. He later graduated from the Honolulu Police Academy and reported for duty as one of the members of the Honolulu Police Department. On August 4, 2010, The Gazette reported that Moose was no longer employed at the department. As of September 2012, Moose was retired and living in Tampa, Florida
Charles Moose’s obituary and memorial service will be organized by the family.