Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken retiring after 30 years on the force

DULUTH — Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken will retire this summer after more than 30 years with the police force, six as its leader, and has taken a job as the the law enforcement program coordinator at Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College.

The timing is a mix of personal and professional, Tusken said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon at the city's Public Safety Building. The job at the college opened up and it appealed to him as a chance to give back to the profession. He also wants to slow down. During the pandemic, he and his wife lost three of their parents, he said.

"We're only on this earth for a limited amount of time and what are the things you've not done, what are the things I've not done with my family?" said the 53-year-old Tusken.

The announcement, which was sometimes emotional and always complimentary to the rest of the department, drew more than 50 law enforcement and city officials, in addition to his wife Kathy and brother Tom Tusken. He credited a long line of supporters that started with his second-grade teacher and extended to former police chief Scott Lyons, who hired him and was part of the audience on Wednesday.

The Tusken family dog Rudy, a 3-year-old golden retriever and frequent visitor to the building, quietly roamed the room.

Duluth's Chief Administrative Officer Noah Schuchman said that over the next few weeks the city will develop a timeline for filling the position. An interim will be named before Tusken leaves around Aug. 1.

Tusken was hired in his hometown in 1992 after briefly working working for the Minneapolis Police Department. He was appointed Duluth's police chief in 2016 after serving in the interim role when his predecessor Gordon Ramsay took over as police chief in Wichita, Kan.

In between, he held positions ranging from patrol officer to juvenile investigator to patrol deputy chief.

Hiring Tusken was one of Emily Larson's first moves as mayor, she said, and one of her best decisions. She described his work as "an absolute dream for me as a mayor."

"He leads with his heart, with empathy and with courage — and a true belief in the power of policing to make people's lives better and our communities safer," Larson said. "Chief Tusken has never, ever shied away from the tough questions of transparency and accountability in an era when we must all have a critical eye on policing strategies and trust within our communities."

The police department is currently understaffed by 20-plus officers; there is currently a push on social media to recruit. Still, Tusken said he is leaving the department in a good place — with new leaders rising through the ranks.

"Lots of good things we did under my tenure, it wasn't me — it was we," he said. "And it's important to know that we have built a foundation for the next leaders, the next chief of police who stands at this podium and will bring this organization to the next level."