Gwinnett County’s second longest serving police chief officially retires today.  Charlie Walters has been an officer with the Gwinnett County Police Department since 1979.  He’s served as chief the past 11 years.

“I don’t think anybody sets out to be police chief… it’s something you either grown into or you don’t,” he says.  “I’ve been lucky; everything has fallen into place.”

He tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish he plans to spend more time with his family and do some teaching.

Some of his most memorable moments as chief include the arrest of Brian Nichols in Gwinnett in 2005 and the successful conclusion of the firefighter hostage standoff last year. But he’s most proud of the integrity within his department.

“I’m very proud that we’ve been able to just get the job done and continue to serve the people in this county very, very well,” he says.

Assistant Chief Butch Ayers takes over for Walters starting Saturday.  He’s been with the department for 30 years and has worked in nearly every division.

The only other Gwinnett police chief to serve longer than Walters is John Crunkleton, the department’s first chief, who held the position for 16 years.