Salem Police Chief Retiring

SALEM, MA — Salem Police Chief Mary Butler will retire on July 31, the city of Salem said Monday.

"Serving as a police officer was been a dream of mine since I was twelve years old. That dream became a reality when I was sworn-in in 1987 and it has been such a pleasure to have made that dream a reality for the past thirty-three years," Butler said in a news release. "Choosing this path in life has enabled me to be part of this wonderful community and given me the opportunity to be part of a team of people that make Salem a place where people want to live, work and raise family."

Butler has been chief for the past five years and has been with the department for 33 years. After retiring, Butler will become director of security at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. Captain Dennis King will become acting chief until a permanent replacement is named by Mayor Kim Driscoll.

Driscoll appointed Butler in 2015, making her the first woman to lead the department in its history.

"Salem and our police department have been well served by Chief Butler," Driscoll said. "At a time when policing in this nation is under a high degree of scrutiny, Chief Butler has never deviated from her belief that the role of the police officer is to serve all, protect all, and lead with integrity."

Butler's retirement comes after a tough month for the department. Last week, the department laid Dana Mazola to rest after the 33-year veteran patrolman was killed in a head-on car crash.

At the same time, Salem city councilors have been responding to calls to defund the department. The push came even after the department said it demoted a captain who used the department's Twitter account to post what Butler called a "wildly inappropriate" message criticizing Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker.

Dave Copeland covers Salem and other North Shore communities for Patch. He can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).