CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mecklenburg County Sheriff Chipp Bailey is 65 years old and has been in law enforcement for 41 years.
He said he's ready to retire.
He doesn't want to leave in the middle of a new term, so he told his staff last week he won't run for re-election next year.
Channel 9 asked him about his controversial beginning as sheriff, the lawsuits he's faced over the years and what he sees for the future of Mecklenburg County.
"It seems like the right time to go," he said.
His retirement as sheriff may be quiet, but the beginning certainly was not.
In 2008, Democrats picked Nick Mackey to take over for Jim Pendergraph.
After weeks of controversy, the commissioner appointed Bailey instead.
"It brought this department together as a group," Bailey said. "It galvanized the Sheriff's Office."
There were more controversies along the way, including several lawsuits from employees claiming Bailey wrongfully fired them and some claiming it was because they didn't donate to his campaign.
Bailey said it happens to all sheriffs and he sums it up by saying, "They say I need to get a paycheck. And (if) they sue they will settle with me and I'll get something."
He said one of those cases was dismissed in another the jury decided in his favor and he thinks the remaining four will end up the same.
As for his legacy, Bailey said he's proud of what the Sheriff's Office has done in his six years.
He said he's retiring feeling good about his service to the county and the future of the Sheriff's Office.
He said the state of his jail shows their hard work is paying off.
"In August 2007 we had 2,900 inmates. Today we have less than 2,000," Bailey said.
Bailey will serve until next fall.
A new sheriff will be elected in November and sworn in the first week of December 2014.
When Eyewitness News asked if he thinks anyone in his department will run he said one person probably will.
He's not naming anyone and said he won't support a candidate until after the filing deadline in February.