Police chief O’Donohue retires
He will work as city consultant for 6 months
Royal Oak Police Chief Corrigan O’Donohue is retiring, but will work as a consultant for the city through May of next year.
City Manager Paul Brake made the announcement of O’Donohue’s official retirement Thursday.
O’Donohue’s contract with the city as chief and assistant city manager was set to expire on Dec. 5, and his retirement is effective immediately.
He left his office during the second week of November. Brake said O’Donohue has returned once since then for a meeting with the city manager.
O’Donohue’s departure from the police station led to rumors that the now-former chief had been forced to leave.
Brake on Thursday denied that was the case.
“He retired of his own choosing,” Brake said. “He was eligible to retire and It was a personal decision he made.”
Deputy Police Chief Michael Moore, a 20-year veteran of the department, has officially been named as interim police chief.
Royal Oak officials in the coming months will begin a search to find the city’s next police chief.
In addition to being police chief, O’Donohue gained a $20,000 annual pay hike in late 2015 when he was appointed assistant city manager by the City Commission with the support of then-city manager Don Johnson.
Brake said O’Donohue will be paid as a consultant at the equivalent hourly rate of his salary — $65 per hour.
“He will be returning here as needed, but won’t be coming here on a daily basis,” Brake said.
O’Donohue’s consultant work for Royal Oak will include working with interim Chief Moore on his transition, dealing with any issues related to the city’s new parking system, and any maintenance or repair matters at the new police station building, Brake
said.
In a statement Thursday, Brake said O’Donohue’s consultant work will “provide an orderly transition during the change in leadership at the Royal Oak Police Department.”
“On behalf of the City of Royal Oak, residents and elected and appointed officials,” Brake said in the statement, “I want to thank Chief O’Donohue for his 29 years of service.”
O’Donohue also provided a statement Thursday on his retirement, recounting his years with the police department, where he rose through the ranks after being hired as an officer in 1993.
“I have served in every division and position within the agency,” O’Donohue said in his statement. “I am, and always will be, extremely grateful for the many opportunities I was afforded while with the Royal Oak Police Department. The Royal Oak Police Department is one of Michigan’s premier law enforcement agencies and it was the greatest honor of my life to serve as chief of police for the past 11 years.
The decision to retire was not an easy one to make, but it is the right time for both the department and me personally.”
O’Donohue thanked his police, city, and 44th District Court colleagues and the advances they helped the city make over the years.
“Finally, I would like to thank the countless residents, business owners, faith leaders and other community members who I have met throughout my years in Royal Oak,” he said. “The police department exists to serve the public and we could not accomplish our mission without your
support.”
Brake highlighted advances made during O’Donohue’s time as police chief, which included the construction of the new police station, renewal of the public safety millage last month, and the promotion and selection of police command officers.
The city manager further noted O’Donohue during his time as chief was elected by his peers as leader of the Michigan Chiefs of Police Association, the Southeast Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Oakland County Chiefs of Police Association.