By Anya Tikka
LIBERTY — “It was a bit of a surprise to myself,” said Liberty Police Chief Rob Mir about his retirement, but continued, “I felt it’s the right time now.”
Starting the first of October, Mir will be on leave, although his official date for retirement is next May.
“I have a lot of leave accrued, and I have to take that before leaving,” he explained further.
Mir has held the position since 2008 and said retiring now was a personal decision. Although everyone was surprised at his announcement late last week, the board, village manager, and the department have been very supportive.
Stepping into Mir’s shoes will be his second in command, Lt. Charles Barber, so there will be no interruption in the services, explained Mir. He also said he’ll come back in the spring to work with everyone on the new budget, and his official retiring date is May 31, 2012.
“This is the right way to do it,” stressed Mir. “This is what I’ve been working toward my whole life. It’s almost my whole adult career.”
Mir is going to explore jobs in the private sector, but he has nothing lined up as of yet.
He is planning to stay in Liberty with his family, who all love the village and area.
Mir said nothing in particular happened in the department to prompt the early retirement, but it is a decision based on personal reasons, and “After 20 years, you can basically leave anytime.”
“I’ve enjoyed it,” added Mir, “It’s been a career, almost my whole adult life. It’s my greatest accomplishment to earn the friendship and respect of the men and women of this department, and the citizens of Liberty.”
Mir moved to Sullivan County from Brooklyn in 1989 to join the Fallsburg Police Department. Mir moved to the Village of Liberty PD in 1991, became a sergeant in 1993, a lieutenant in 2003, and was finally promoted to chief in 2008.