As one leader steps up, another steps down.

"There was a long time ago, there was a police officer and he was retiring. I had a great deal of respect for him. I said, 'Wow man you're retiring.' I said, 'So how does it feel.' He said, 'Kid, you'll know when it's time,'" said Frank Fowler, Syracuse Police Chief.

For Fowler, he said, 'It's time.' He joined the force in 1989 moving up to chief almost a decade ago.

"I sat down at my desk and I said, I was like 'Wow, I'm in pretty good shape in terms of manpower.' I had 506 police officers," said Fowler.

That along with the city's leadership under former Mayor, Stephanie Miner.

"The previous mayor was pretty economically sound and she knew the fiscal challenges that the city was facing, so she made the necessary cuts and we weren't able to hire," said Fowler. "My police department kept getting smaller and smaller and smaller until today; we're under 400 police officers."

Fowler says the force remained diligent in ensuring safety adjusting to crime particularly among youth.

"We lose sight of the fact that there are a lot of things that occur long before the person picks up the gun or the person commits a crime," said Fowler. "All of that is the social aspect of it. We try to engage everyone involved in the process not just law enforcement."

The department focused on building relationships throughout the community while keeping up with society. 

"I became the chief right before the information age boom," said Fowler. "I became the breaking news chief. I became the dot com chief. I became the social media chief. With that, you're bombarding people with information that is not always positive."

In a time where the image of officers nationwide shifted

"It becomes difficult because this community relation that you speak of becomes a moving target,” said Fowler. “Every time an incident takes place, it becomes either a setback or it creates a pause in the advancement of those relationships. You have to take public perception and treat it as being the truth because that's what you're going to be forced to deal with."

It's now a responsibility for the next chief.

Fowler hoped First Deputy Chief Joe Cecil would take his place, but Mayor Ben Walsh appointed Kenton Buckner of Little Rock, Arkansas.

"I knew what First Deputy Chief Joe Cecil brought to the table,” said Fowler. “I thought he would be a great fit for the Syracuse Police Department and he had the ability to advance all of the initiatives that we had. I didn't even know that Chief Buckner existed. The Syracuse Police Department will go on. You will find that the men and women will be supportive of Chief Buckner.”

As for his future, Fowler can only picture himself working with one team.

“I haven't really decided yet because today, right now, I'm still Chief of Police in the City of Syracuse,” said Fowler. ”I tell people all the time that I'm leaving the game like Barry Sanders. I can still do this job. I can still do the job of Chief of Police someplace else if I so chose to, but I cannot imagine working in law enforcement any place else and I will not work in law enforcement any place else because this police department and this community has been so great to me."