Colonel Harry Reitze, Police Chief for the City of Falls Church, announced his retirement today effective Nov. 11, 2012. According to a statement from the City released today, “Chief Reitze has had a long and distinguished career with the City, joining the Police Department in 1975 as a patrol officer. He progressively worked his way through the ranks to obtain the position of Captain in 1998, overseeing the Department’s Services and Operations Divisions. In February 2004, Reitze served as Commander of the Special Operations Division, managing emergency preparedness and security operations for the City. He was appointed Chief of Police by City Manager Wyatt Shields in May 2007.”

“Chief Reitze has been a strong leader for the Police Department and the City as a whole,” said F.C. City Manager Wyatt Shields. “He has fostered a culture in which the men and women who serve in the Department want to be the best, period. We see the results of that with what our police officers are able to accomplish everyday for the community.”

Over the course of his career, Reitze received numerous awards and recognitions, including two commendations for bravery and actions above and beyond the call of duty, Policeman of the Year in 1978, and an Award of Recognition from the Vietnamese Community of Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia in 1990. Reitze is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy, 193rd Session and the Professional Executive Leadership School, 8th Session. He was President and a Board Member of the Professional Executive Leadership School Alumni Association, President of the Falls Church Police Association, and a Board Member of the Virginia Police Chiefs Foundation. He is a member of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

The City’s statement said that “there will be an orderly process for appointing a successor to Chief Reitze upon his retirement from the City.”