By BJ Austin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-870717.mp3
Dallas, TX –
Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle says he wants to leave the job with dignity and his head held high. KERA's BJ Austin says the Chief will retire April 30th with a long list of accomplishments
Chief Kunkle says he's been making plans to retire for the past year, and set the date for late February, 2010.
Kunkle: which would have been my 38th anniversary from the day I started as a rookie Dallas officer.
But City Manager Mary Suhm asked the Chief to move retirement back to April 30th, to give the city time to pick a new chief.
Kunkle: I was very happy to do that since I don't have a job. (laughter) Going to keep putting that out there for people who have jobs.
Chief Kunkle says he knows the twists and turns of the job and after five years, it's time to leave.
Kunkle: I think in certain jobs there's a need for continuity, and there is in this position. But I also think in certain jobs, there's a need to wipe the slate clean every so often.
Crime went down every year during Kunkle's tenure: murders down 34%. 9-1-1 response time decreased dramatically. Officers get to the scene an average six minutes faster than in 2004. 700 new officers hit the streets, working new squad car computers and dash board cameras. And the Dallas Police Academy went from one of the worst in the state to one of the best.
Former Dallas Mayor Laura Miller praised the Chief, calling him a man of integrity who put Dallas first.
Miller: You also had a sincere desire to incorporate best practices from all over the country, with no pride of authorship. You didn't care who thought it up. You always gave them credit. You just wanted Dallas to benefit from it.
Not answering to the title "chief" will be an adjustment. Kunkle has been a chief of police for 22 years of his career. He was the youngest Captain in the history of the Dallas Police Department, and his file shows a 31 year streak of perfect attendance - not sick days. Chief Kunkle says his successor will have to continue to work hard on the top three challenges of the job: crime, department morale, and working with the community.
The City Manager plans a nationwide search for a new Chief.