Troy chief decides to retire
Owens, who spent 23 years on force, to be replaced by Dewolf
Troy’s police chief is stepping down after 23 years with the department, the city announced Friday.
Chief Brian Owens, whose last day will be July 14, will be replaced in the top post by current Deputy Chief Daniel Dewolf, who has been with the department since 1995.
Owens held numerous leadership positions with the department over the years before rising to the position of chief in 2018. During his tenure, he oversaw the department’s expansion of community policing efforts, deployment of body cameras, implementation of new officer training and updates to the use of force policy.
While Owens did not offer a reason for his retirement, three months ago he considered a chief ’s job with the much smaller Watervliet Police Department and said he was “just exploring options.” He ultimately withdrew his name after receiving an outpouring of support from the local community.
“The pressure and the stress is just relentless,” Owens said at the time of leading the 131-member Troy department.
Indeed, the last year and a half of his tenure have been marked by a national reckoning over police brutality and a simultaneous rise in violent
crime and shootings — both of which impacted Troy and other Capital Region communities.
“There are few jobs in this world that can compare to being a police officer,” he said in a statement Friday. “From a young age, I wanted to be a Troy cop and I have been fortunate to have achieved that goal ... At times, I have seen the absolute worst in humanity, but far more often, I have seen the best in people … The past three plus years have been rewarding, yet exhausting, and now is a time for change.”
Mayor Patrick Madden and City Council President Carmella Mantello expressed gratitude for Owens’ service Friday.
“He leaves the Troy Police Department a better, more responsive agency that is prepared to meet the challenges facing law enforcement agencies in the 21st century,” Madden said. “I wish Brian and the entire Owens family the best as they begin this new and exciting chapter in their lives.”
Owens’ successor Dewolf began his career in law enforcement in 1993 with the Rensselaer County Sheriff ’s Department. He moved to the Troy police force two years later and in his current role as deputy chief oversees the department’s plainclothes divisions, Community Services Bureau, Emergency Response Team, technology and grants, and administrative duties.
He also coordinates the city’s Project GIVE initiative to reduce and prevent gun homicides and is a member of the Rensselaer County Re-entry Task Force.
Dewolf has also served as department spokesman since 2014.