Phoenix police chief announces she’ll retire this summer

PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams announced Tuesday that she will retire this summer after nearly six years as head of the city’s police department and 33 years in law enforcement.

Williams said in a statement she felt called right to go in a new direction providing “the rare opportunity to prioritize family and explore future endeavors.”

Williams joined the department in 1989 and worked her way up through the ranks before becoming an assistant chief and then leaving in 2011 to become police chief in Oxnard, California. She returned to Phoenix to become police chief in 2016.

The Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, the union representing rank-and-file officers, issued a statement thanking Williams for her service and wishing her the best.

The department said Williams will continue to lead the department until an interim chief from outside the department is found. A nationwide search for a permanent replacement will take place later, the department said.