Sniper case police chief heads for 'Hawaii 5-0' force

He was the most famous policeman in America. Then he quit the force to go on a lecture tour and write a book. But now the man who led the chase to catch the Washington sniper three years ago is preparing to walk the beat once again.

Celebrity and national hero status was just not enough for ex-police chief Charles Moose. Next week, he joins a class for new police recruits in Hawaii. The 52-year-old quit as head of the Montgomery County, Maryland, force in June 2003 when he was barred from accepting an advance for a book he had written about the pursuit of the snipers. He and his wife, Sandy, then moved to Hawaii.

"I think it will be very interesting. It's a different agency here, they do things a little differently," Mr Moose told the IoS from his home in West Oahu. His wife said she had always been a fan of the Seventies police show Hawaii 5-0, starring the late Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett, best known for his catchphrase "Book him Danno".

Mr Moose was widely praised for his calm during the hunt for the men who terrorised the Washington DC area in October 2002. The snipers, John Allen Muhammed and then 17-year-old John Malvo, killed a total of 13 people during their shooting spree.