Brown issued a statement saying he will retire October 22 after 33 years with Dallas police.
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Known for being a stern and intensely private man, Brown got right back to work, steering the department with an emphasis on community policing for which Dallas became a national model. He was not immediately available for additional comment.
“I know the people of Dallas will never forget the ultimate sacrifice they made on the streets of our city that very bad night”, Brown said in a statement.
“I wanted to be part of the solution”, he said in a written statement yesterday in which he once again praised the five officers killed in July. “I know the people of Dallas will never forget the ultimate sacrifice they made on the streets of our city that bad night”, he said.
Before the shootings, however, Brown was under fire from Dallas’ police unions who blamed the chief for low morale among rank-and-file officers and not doing more to insure that Dallas cops were paid on par with their suburban brethren. President Barack Obama praised his leadership.
“We’re hiring”, he said during a press conference.
The mayor credited Brown with transforming the department by reducing the number of officer-involved shootings and implementing other measures.
Police unions in Dallas called for Brown’s resignation earlier this year after Brown presented an unprecedented shift in scheduling within the department to address a rising murder rate.
Brown emerged as the steady and charismatic face of the city in the days after the shootings by an Army veteran who was motivated by revenge in the wake of police shootings elsewhere that killed or injured black men.
The chief’s statement also referenced those who were killed by gunman Micah Johnson on July 7 on the sidelines of a march against police brutality.
“Serving the citizens of Dallas in this noble profession has been both a true honor and a humbling experience”, Brown said today.
Brown told the City Council last month that much of the information about the attack could be withheld for an indefinite period during an investigation into whether the use of force was justified.
“Over the past three decades, Chief Brown has been dedicated to preserving the safety of others”, said Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
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Brown mentioned the fallen officers in the announcement: “Their memory will remain with all of us forever”.
