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Wayne Torpy, Los Alamos’ police chief for the past eight years, announced his impending retirement Monday afternoon. Torpy who suffered a stroke several months ago and then later underwent open heart surgery, cited the after effects of his medical ordeal as the motivation behind his decision to retire.

“My health is not what it was a year ago, and for the good of the county, for the good of the department and for my personal well-being I had to take a hard look at everything,” Torpy said. “After 36 years in law enforcement, the signals are telling me it’s time to move along.”

During his time at the helm of the LAPD, Torpy oversaw the construction of the Los Alamos Justice Center, gained accreditation for the department, and restructured the ranks to flatten the management structure.

That streamlined management structure may have some unintended consquences given the recent abrupt departure of a top commander. County officials have denied requests from the Los Alamos Monitor under the state's Inspection of Public Records Act to reveal the reasons for the commander's separation from the department. The state attorney general's office is currently reviewing the matter to determine the legality of those denials.