ATLANTA — Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant will retire in June, the city announced on Friday.
In a release, the city said Mayor Andre Dickens will "conduct a national search for a permanent replacement."
Bryant became acting chief, and then was appointed the permanent chief, after former chief Erika Shields resigned following the police shooting of Rayshard Brooks in 2020.
He had once previously taken retirement, in 2019, before former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms asked him to return to the force following Shields' resignation and the protest movements of 2020 that called for policing accountability.
Bryant began his Atlanta Police Department career in 1988, a release said, and has been the permanent chief for a little under a year.
In a statement, Dickens indicated Bryant had been considering retirement prior to the new mayor coming into office, saying he was thankful the chief "agreed to stay on for my first 100 days as mayor."
"Chief Bryant has answered our city’s call time and again, and I join all of Atlanta’s residents in owing him a debt of gratitude for his steady leadership," Mayor Dickens said in the statement. "I am thankful that the Chief agreed to stay on for my first 100 days as Mayor, and I have grown to rely on the Chief’s counsel during our daily meetings. We will miss the Chief’s leadership as he enjoys his well-earned retirement.”
In a tweet, former Mayor Bottoms said she is "eternally grateful" for Bryant, calling him a "son of ATL" whose heart and work ethic is "reflective of his love for our city."
"When asked to leave the comfort of retirement to lead @ATLCorrections & @Atlanta_Police, w/o hesitation he said, 'I’ll do whatever you need for Atlanta.' I’m eternally grateful for him," Bottoms continued.
Bryant, in his own statement, said, "I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to serve the city that I love and call home."
He also indicated his decision was in part of product of wanting to give Dickens the chance to appoint a new chief who would serve in the role for the most possible time, saying he thought it was "essential" for Dickens to have a chief "who is willing to serve throughout his term."
“I have so many great memories of my career. I could not be more thankful to be ending my career — again — with the City of Atlanta Police Department," Bryant said.
In a press conference Thursday, Bryant appeared with the mayor and other police officials to tout the department's progress in tackling violent crime. You can watch that press conference below.