Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski announced his retirement Wednesday.
He plans to step down March 27.
"This has been family discussion for some time," he said. "I think this is a good time for a lot of reasons, but my wife and I have a big anniversary coming up and we'd like to take an enjoyable vacation in which I'm actually in a retired state. I promised the mayor I'd say until the end of his term, and we're pretty close."
Zibolski’s career in law enforcement spans more than 40 years, serving as Chief in Fargo for the last five and a half years.
He says he has a lot of positive, gratifying memories from his time at the Fargo Police Department, but the most difficult was the loss of Officer Jake Wallin in the summer of 2023. A lot of changes have taken place at the department since his appointment as Chief in October of 2020.
"We finished the year again with a huge reduction in crime across the board. We've got great leadership in place at all levels of the department. We're continuing to push forward with some new technology. And our wellness piece is expanding; taking care of our cops, and all our staff. I feel really proud about where we are now, and looking forward to my next phase. But I do it knowing that I've got solid people behind me that will pick up the mantle and take the department forward."
An interim chief is expected to be named soon.
