Minneapolis police Chief Tim Dolan will not seek a third term and will retire at the end of the year.
Dolan has led the police department since he became acting chief in 2006, and has been in the department since 1983 after serving as a Hennepin County Sheriff’s Deputy.
The city council confirmed his nomination as police chief in 2007 and 2010 to three-year terms. His current term will end in January 2013.
“After serving the people of Minnesota for over 34 years I feel it is time to move on to the next stage of life,” Dolan wrote in an internal memo. He informed Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak of his decision earlier in the week.
Rybak praised Dolan for helping decrease crime in the city. Violent crime reached a 28-year low in 2011.
“Tim Dolan stepped in as chief in the middle of a public-safety crisis and immediately began to spearhead a significant, multi-year decrease in crime,” Rybak said in a statement. “It wasn’t an accident: we worked closely together for months and years on a series of smart strategies that engaged every community in our city and made every part of Minneapolis dramatically safer.”
The annoucement comes on the heels of Minneapolis fire Chief Alex Jackson’s retirement in February. Long-time firefighter John Fruetel replaced Jackson March 1.
