T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images.

Longtime D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier is retiring after 26 years with the force, and nine years as the top cop, effective next month.

The widely popular chief is set to take over security for the National Football League, she said in a farewell letter to the force.

“Almost ten years ago, I accepted the job as the chief of police in Washington, D.C., not only because I love this department and the city, but because I realized the significance of keeping our nation’s capital safe in an environment everything that America values is vulnerable to attack,” Lanier wrote. “It is for the same reason I have decided to accept a position that will allow me to serve and protect America’s favorite sport.”

The 49-year-old’s new title is senior vice president of security operations for the NFL. In a press conference this afternoon, Lanier said that she did not reach out to the league for a position, but that they contacted her.

“For women who think there are limitations to what you can do and where you can work, the NFL reaching out to me says there are not limitations,” Lanier said.

D.C. politicos quickly took to Twitter to voice their thanks for Lanier’s long tenure.

Lanier has largely enjoyed high public approval ratings throughout her tenure, though tensions with the D.C. Police Union have cropped up—including an ongoing attrition issue and a ‘no confidence’ vote last summer.

“My phone is blowing up with members fanatically excited!! People are thrilled that this nightmare is over,” writes police union treasurer Gregg Pemberton on Twitter. “Today is the greatest day in my career and so many other of the 3500 cops in this city.”

Members of the Black Lives Matter movement, who have been critical of abuses of police power in D.C., were similarly enthused. “Can it be effective today?” the official local chapter of BLM tweeted.

Still, Lanier had the unwavering support of Mayor Muriel Bowser and consistently high favorability ratings with the public. She declined an opportunity earlier this year to head up Chicago’s police department.

Lanier will leave the D.C. department with a pension of about $180,000 a year, according to NBC4’s Mark Segraves.

As the head of security for the NFL, Lanier will oversee all 32 clubs and coordinate between federal, state, and local law enforcement, the league announced in a statement. “We are excited to welcome to our team an individual of Cathy’s talent and extensive record of accomplishments,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said.

Lanier’s retirement marks the third high-ranking public official in the administration to announce a departure in as many months. D.C. Public chancellor Kaya Henderson said at the end of June that she’s stepping down from the role she’s held since 2010. Henderson has not announced her next position. And the director of the Department of General Services, Christopher Weaver, abruptly announced his departure last week for unnamed personal reasons.

At this afternoon’s press conference, Bowser said that she would not be using a head hunting firm to find Lanier’s replacement and mentioned the “deep bench” at MPD.

“I frankly don’t think Chief Lanier gets the credit she deserves for picking talent, investing in talent, and building talent,” Bowser said, adding that she would announce her interim chief in the coming days.

For her part, Lanier also boosted the idea of her replacement coming from within. “I would work for any one of them in a heartbeat and not bat an eye,” she said.

This post has been updated