Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. will retire in February after eight years as chief and more than 30 years of work with the police department.

In a statement, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said Roessler’s work had made the county of 1.2 million residents “the safest jurisdiction of our size in the nation,” and noted Roessler’s willingness to participate in reform efforts.

“The Chief has worked with the Board on reforms that have solidified the police department as a leader in transparency and community trust,” said McKay.

While conducting a national search for a replacement, the board named David Rohrer as interim police chief. Rohrer, who serves as the deputy county executive overseeing public safety, led the department for eight years before Roessler was appointed.

The board is interviewing internal and external candidates through February and plans to name a successor by April, according to the Washington Post.

Under Roessler’s leadership, the department made several key changes to police practice and oversight—including creating an independent auditor for complaints, limiting cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, changing use of force policies, and starting the rollout of a body worn camera program.

While many have applauded Roessler’s commitment to transparency and accountability, the county’s police union has criticized his leadership. In July, the union called for Roessler’s resignation, claiming that the police chief crossed a line when he condemned the actions of an officer who used a stun gun on a Black man without provocation.

DCist has reached out to the union for comment.

In Fairfax County, use of force by police is uncommon but disproportionately affects Black people: 2019 data show that Black residents make up less than 10% of the county’s population, but are involved in 45.6% of police use-of-force incidents.

At a press conference to address the charges against the officer, Tyler Timberlake, Roessler said Timberlake violated use of force policies. He said he called the mother of the man Timberlake used the stun gun on to share his “disgust with my officer’s unacceptable and criminal actions.”

Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 77 President Brad Carruthers said this was reason for Roessler to step down.

“When you publicly excoriate an officer under your command, characterizing their actions as ‘disgusting’ without even a nascent investigation, you have crossed the line from Chief of Police to that of politician playing dress up,” Carruthers wrote in a letter shared on Facebook.

Roessler, who joined the county’s police force as a recruit in 1989, highlighted his commitment to changing the department in the police press release announcing his retirement.

“I’ve worked alongside progressive law enforcement professionals, amazing forward-thinking strategic county leaders and great community advocates who have truly embraced the concepts of One Fairfax to ensure equity for all,” said Roessler. “Our county leaders, community and its great police department are positioned to continue to serve as a model for the next generation of policing in America.”

Sean Perryman, the president of the Fairfax County NAACP, said that while they did not agree on everything, he was grateful for Roessler’s willingness to engage with him and other members of the community.

“I had serious concerns about the way Black people were policed, as we see throughout the nation,” said Perryman. “But what I appreciated about Chief Roessler was he was always willing to sit down and have a conversation respectfully and try to get to a point where we could talk about reforms.”

As the county chooses its next police chief, Perryman said he hopes that the NAACP and other community groups “are involved very early on and throughout the entire process so that the entire county can feel like they had ownership over this hiring.”

Perryman said he hopes for a commitment to transparency and accountability from Roessler’s replacement.

“That means putting out data regularly, making sure that we have measures to hold the police accountable, supporting things like the civilian review panel, and engagement with the community,” said Perryman.

This story was updated with comments from Sean Perryman, president of the Fairfax County NAACP, and information about the search for a new police chief. Elliot Williams contributed reporting to this story.