Dallas Police Chief Resigns

DALLAS - Police Chief David Kunkle is resigning his position to work in the private sector.

Kunkle has been the Dallas police chief for five and a half years.

Kunkle turns 59 on Friday.

During his tenure with the department he's been praised for reducing overall violent crime, increasing the number of police officers on the streets and holding police officers accountable for their actions both on and off duty.

A notable example was the firing of officer Robert Powell. Kunkle said Powell failed to use common sense by holding Ryan Moats for a traffic ticket while his mother-in-law died in the hospital.

Powell's dash camera captured the incident and the video sparked national attention.

Overall, Kunkle is credited with bringing stability to the department after the tumultious two-year tenure of Chief Terrell Bolton.

No interim chief has been named. However, a likely candidate is Assistant Chief David Brown, the highest ranking assistant chief in the force.