GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom, who was recently announced as the next police chief in Pensacola, Florida, is expected to discuss the upcoming transition Friday morning.

‘It just seems like the right time,’ GRPD’s Winstrom says of move to Florida

During a news conference that is scheduled to start at 10 a.m., Winstrom will reflect on the four years he spent leading the Grand Rapids Police Department, according to a release from the city.

City Manager Mark Washington will also outline the next steps for the GRPD.

GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom taking chief job in Florida

Winstrom is scheduled to start his new job March 2. During a news conference in Pensacola on Wednesday, he explained that “it just seems like the right time” to leave Grand Rapids.

“That police department is 180 degrees different from where we started it,” he told the Pensacola community. “We have filled every budgeted vacancy. We have grown the size of the police department. We have reduced crime enormously. We have made huge strides in protecting our homeless population. And it just seems like the right time. Sometimes, you gotta go out on top.”

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