After five years as Elon University’s Chief of Police, Joe LeMire will retire April 3, according to an email sent to faculty and staff by Vice President for Finance and Administration Janet Williams.
In an interview with Elon News Network, LeMire said that after 33 years in law enforcement work spanning across three states, it was time to take a step back from that world. He said it was time to turn things over to others who are working their way up. He also said that after 30 years, always dealing with people at the worst moments in their lives can be difficult.
“I always wondered what that feeling would be when you knew it was time,” LeMire said. “It's not a problem with anything. It was just really, I think, in the law enforcement world, you start to realize when you run out of gas. You deal with a lot of things over the course of a career, both administratively and as law enforcement officers.”
LeMire said he will be taking a job as a business agent for a private business.
“I was reached out to by a friend in the private sector that had a job opportunity that's unrelated to law enforcement or security, and it seemed like the right time in my career to take on that opportunity and get out of law enforcement,” LeMire said.
While at Elon, LeMire led a department of 21 police officers, a 24-hour dispatch center and a team of community service officers. According to the email, he restaffed the department, increased the use of security cameras and launched an upgraded E-alert system.
“I came in here at a time when the law enforcement staffing was pretty low, and we've been able to build the department back up,” LeMire said. “Even though I'm leaving, one thing I'll always remember is that the department really has some good individuals at work here — all the officers, all the CSOs, the dispatchers.”
He said that he is leaving the department in good hands, and said that there are a lot of great people in the department. He said he will always remember all the good people at Elon.
A national search will soon be launched to identify his replacement, according to the email. Following his departure in April, and until a successor is named, Campus Safety and Police will be managed by Interim Chief of Police Doug Dotson, who has served as assistant chief.