Windsor deputy police chief Brannagan retires

Windsor deputy police chief Jerome Brannagan announced his retirement Wednesday afternoon.

Brannagan made the announcement at a news conference at Windsor Police headquarters.

Brannagan, 56, served the Windsor Police for 33 years.

"Policing can be a dangerous job but believe me when I tell you, it's been rewarding," Brannagan said.

His retirement was "scheduled," according to Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis and had nothing to do with a shuffle of the service's top brass.

Francis said Brannagan was asked to stay on the force rather than retire. Brannagan will stay on until January to help the police service with the transition to a new management team.

Francis, who is also the chair of the Windsor Police Services Board, is scheduled to announceon Thursday morning anewteam, including achief, that will lead the department into the future.

The police department has been without a chief since December 2011. That's when former chief Gary Smith retired amid allegations of police brutality and other misconduct by his officers.