The Fort Worth Police Chief, Ed Kraus, announced in an email sent to officers and employees on Monday that he will retire by the end of the year.
Letter from Chief Kraus pic.twitter.com/JsIqaXXWfC
— Fort Worth Police (@fortworthpd) July 27, 2020
Kraus is a 28-year veteran of the department who replaced the fired chief Joel Fitzgerald in May 2019. Kraus said he will stay in the department until the city finds a replacement. In his announcement, he said his wife is also retiring from her career in education.
“I feel so blessed to have served our community with you over the past 28 years,” he said in a statement. “I will forever have fond memories of this department, our accomplishments, and especially the relationships shared.”
Kraus’ time in leadership has been challenging.
Atatiana Jefferson, a Black Fort Worth resident, was shot and killed in her home in October 2019 by Aaron Dean, a white police officer. Dean later resigned and was charged with murder. After Jefferson was killed there were calls for Kraus to resign.
Kraus also drew attention for his response to protests this summer against police brutality. He received national attention after he knelt with protesters in late May. Kraus faced mixed reactions when he dropped charges for those who were arrested for rioting.
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price said she didn’t see the announcement coming.
“You’re always surprised when somebody that you really care about and that’s passionate about their own job steps down, but a chief of police in a major city right now is a very high stress job and apparently chief’s wife has decided to retire also. So I understand,” she said. “He’s served the city 28 years and that’s a long time to give of yourself and he’s done a beautiful job.”
