Anne Arundel County Police Chief Thomas Shanahan announced Thursday he will retire next month after eight years at the helm of the department.
Shortly before Shanahan shared his news, County Executive-elect John Leopold announced he would appoint Deputy Chief James Teare as his new chief of police. Teare was one of the first group of administrative appointments announced by Leopold at a morning news conference Thursday.
Shanahan, a 34-year-veteran of the county police force, said he planned to take the next year off.
“I?m not seeking work though I have a good background if I wanted to look for something else,” he said.
Shanahan said he told some people “at the end of the summer” that he was planning to retire at the end of the year. Police spokesman Lt. David Waltemeyer said the chief chose to delay his announcement until Thursday because “he did not want to cause a disruption … or make it a distraction to the members of the department.”
Outgoing County Executive Janet Owens brought Shanahan on board at the start of her administration eight years ago. By county law, all department heads must submit their resignations at the end of the current county executive?s term. The new county executive may accept or reject the resignations.
Leopold said he picked Teare because he has known him for 20 years, and because “he takes a proactive stance on issues” including training and recruiting. Teare has been with the Anne Arundel County Police Department for 19 years. He started out in the northern district and also served with the special operations unit.
He said he plans to continue efforts to expand community-based policing and said he will place more emphasis on recruiting.
In addition to the new police chief, Leopold announced the appointment and reappointment of almost 20 other county department head positions. Former Annapolis mayor and Democratic contender for county executive Dennis Callahan was hired as Leopold?s chief of staff. Annapolis City Alderman Wayne Taylor, D-Ward 4, will resign his city council seat to become the new director of aging.
Leopold also appointed Bob Leib to the newly created position of special assistant for education and town centers, and Sheryl Banks was appointed to another new position of special assistant for minority affairs. Leib was fired earlier this year from his position as director of government relations for Anne Arundel County Schools.
