Today, June 13, Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg released the following statement, in response to Police Chief Gregory Mullen's announcement that he will be retiring on August 1, 2017, after a 35 year career in law enforcement:
Like all great police chiefs, Greg Mullen is more than an outstanding police officer. He's also an outstanding man. And, as I've had the privilege to learn over the past year and a half, a truly good friend.
For more than a decade, Chief Greg Mullen has led the Charleston Police Department with professionalism, dignity, compassion and grace. And he has done it while keeping our city secure, our citizens safe and our community united.
Few police officers of Chief Mullen's generation have achieved so much -- and fewer still have done so while winning the near-universal admiration and respect of the city and citizens they serve. As I have often said, Chief Mullen has the head and the heart to get the job done, while building strong and enduring relationships with the community he’s sworn to protect.
But as the chief would be the first to tell you, great leaders cannot and do not exist in a vacuum. They are servants to, and a reflection of, the great organizations they lead. And for the last eleven years, Chief Mullen has had the honor of leading one of the finest groups of men and women ever to put on the uniform.
Regardless of the task, the outstanding officers of the CPD have again and again risen to the challenge. Each and every day, they serve our city with honor and distinction. And thanks to their extraordinary dedication, Charleston remains one of the safest and most peaceful cities in America.
That's why, today, with Chief Mullen’s retirement, I am announcing a professional, wide-ranging national search for Charleston's next chief of police. And working closely with City Council, community leaders and our citizens, I know that we will soon be welcoming an outstanding new police chief to our city -- one who's worthy of the great department they will be asked to lead, and ready on day one to keep our city safe, secure and peaceful in the years to come.
***
Chief Mullen's Retirement Letter
Gregory G. Mullen Bio
Mullen Illumination Project Op-ed by Mayor Tecklenburg