A 27 year career in law enforcement has ended. Monday Moline City Administrator Doug Maxeiner announced Police Chief John Hitchcock has decided to retire, effective immediately.
Last month, Hitchcock was charged with drunken driving after being stopped by the Iowa State Patrol. He was arraigned last week and a pre-trial hearing is set for next month. Two captains riding with him received five-day suspensions for allowing him to drive while impaired.
In a press release, Maxeiner says they talked over the weekend, and that Hitchcock, quote, "understands the issues and challenges of the public's perception if he came back to the Moline Police Department." And that he decided to do what is best for the department and residents of Moline.
Maxeiner says his retirement is a significant loss for the city, and that preparations have started to look for a new police chief.