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(ABC 6 News) – After 30 years in policing, on Friday, Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley will officially retire.
“I don’t think anyone could have predicted what could’ve happened with policing the last 10 years when I took the job, certainly I didn’t,” said Brinkley.
Related: Mason City Police to hold public open house for police chief’s retirement
Brinkley reflected on his career as a police officer and chief on Monday. It was a career filled with many highs, such as participating in RAGBRAI and other community events.
“I always enjoyed those public events throughout my career, and that was probably one of them that stands out,” Brinkley said.
And some of the lows that come with policing, like having to respond to difficult events, including the fiery crash in April of 2017 that took the lives of 5 people.
“That was a tough day on a lot of fronts. It was a terrible day for our community. And I think that one really stays with me,” said Brinkley.
As well as the disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit.
“In terms of the rest of the case, I feel pretty good about where we are at,” Brinkley said.
Overall, Brinkley is proud of what he’s accomplished and is excited for what the department continues to do in the future, especially for the newcomers.
“It’s fun to work with them, and that’s the part I’m really going to miss. They got some opportunities and some tools and some skills that I didn’t have, where if I had those things when I was a young rookie officer, who knows what I would’ve been able to accomplish,” said Brinkley.
Brinkley said what’s next for him is teaching college classes and enjoying the extra time on his hands.
“Next summer, it’ll be great, like out of bed early in the morning, load up the fishing gear, head out, come back, dump that stuff, and just go out and hang out on the lake for the day, looking forward to that,” Brinkley said.
The baton now being passed over to Mike McKelvey, who has worked under Brinkley in the past. He hopes he can take what he learned, and keep the department rolling.
“Me moving up will cause some internal promotions, so we’ll try to get those filled, and obviously that’ll lead to knew positions from there, and succession planning,” McKelvey said.
Brinkley said he can’t thank the community enough for their support, and it’s something that McKelvey says he hopes to build up as he gets started.