NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WTNH) – New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart announced the city’s police chief will retire in 2023 after serving New Britain for 26 years Wednesday.

New Britain Police Chief Christopher Chute is set to retire at the end of January in 2023 and an interim police chief will be announced for the city at that time.

Mayor Erin Stewart shared the following statement with News 8:

“Chief Chute has done a great job of leading the New Britain Police Department through unprecedented times, most notably a worldwide pandemic. He has navigated times of societal uneasiness towards law enforcement with grace and an emphasis on building valuable relationships with our community that has helped build trust between our residents and our police force.

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Chief Chute joined the New Britain police force in 1989 as a police explorer until he was hired as a police recruit later that same year. Chute worked multiple positions with the department as a member of the North/ Oak Street COPS unit, crime suppression unit, and as a narcotics investigator.

In 2002, Chute was promoted to detective and graduated as a polygraph examiner from the Texas Department of Public Safety Polygraph in 2003. Chute worked as a digital forensic examiner and analyzed cell phones and computers for investigations.

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Chute was later promoted to sergeant and lead the polygraph and digital forensics unit. Shortly after he was promoted to lieutenant and oversaw the criminal investigations division before he was promoted to captain.

As captain, he led the police recruit academy, traffic safety bureau, internal affairs, training division, animal control and evidence unit.

In 2016, Chute attended the Southern Police Institute Command Officer Development School and graduated first in his class receiving the director’s award for having the highest academic average.

In 2017, Chute was promoted to the position of deputy chief of police under the command of Chief Wardell prior to becoming Chief of New Britain Police in 2019 when Wardell retired.

“It has been an honor to serve the city where I was born and raised, but it’s time to move on and start the next chapter of my career, “Chief Chute said. “I want to thank Mayor Stewart for giving me the opportunity to lead the department as Chief for the past four years, and this is an especially sentimental moment as it will be the first time since 1941 that a Chute will not be working as a police officer in the City of New Britain.”