CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney is retiring according to city leaders.
He will take two months off from January to March and then come back in March for the Republican National Convention.
Following the convention next August, he'll step down and a permanent replacement will be named.
Putney joined CMPD in 1992 as a patrol officer and has served as chief since 2015.
Law enforcement officers and community members have had mixed reactions about Putney's retirement.
"He's always been a person of high integrity, a person who has done extremely well, trying to listen and solve problems in the community," says former CMPD officer Lee Ratliff.
Ratliff says part of Putney's legacy includes his actions during th riots of 2016.
"He led us through that and his leadership through that period was very instrumental to rebuilding community trust. That was a very trying time for our city."