(ABC 6 News) — The man who has been wearing the hat of public safety director in Albert Lea for nearly three decades is ready to hang it up.

J.D. Carlson has been working in the Albert Lea Police Department since 1997, and he has seen some of the best and worst the community has endured.

Carlson began his career in law enforcement in 1993 as a volunteer for the police reserve in St. Petersburg while he was still in college.

Next, he headed north to Medina for a part-time job before landing the full-time gig in Albert Lea where he has remained for nearly 30 years.

I’ve always said here, I’m extremely spoiled,” Carlson said. “The opportunities I’ve had at this department to becoming a field training officer, bike control officer, on the SWAT team, being SWAT commander.”

Between his arrival in Albert Lea and his upcoming 2025 departure, Carlson stepped away from serving his city to serve his country for a year in Iraq.

As Carlson looks forward to retirement, he remains open to working in another capacity.

“I dont know what the future will entail, but what I do see is that with a lot of committees and wards, there’s a lot of volunteers needed,” Carlson said.

With Carlson retiring, Albert Lea is proposing to restructure its police and fire departments.

Instead of a public safety director overseeing both departments, the city will eliminate the position and appoint individual police and fire chiefs who will report directly to the city manager.

According to City Manager Ian Rigg, there are no definitive numbers regarding what the salaries of the two replacements will be compared to the current public safety director salary, but it is not expected to be a significant increase or decrease.

However, future pay grade increases for the two replacements likely will lead to an increased cost down the line.

Rigg said the city opted to choose this option because they wanted replacements to be internal hires, and they felt sticking with a public safety manager position could lead to one department potentially getting more attention than another.