KEOKUK, IOWA -- Keokuk's police chief is stepping down after almost 26 years of service.

Chief Tom Crew announced his retirement at Thursday night's Keokuk City Council meeting.

His retirement takes effect July 6.

Crew has led the department as chief for the last seven years.

"It was a tough decision because it's been a career that I love," Crew said.

Most of Crew's career was spent in narcotics enforcement. It's what he seemed to enjoy the most.

"We were doing undercover investigations before cell phones," Crew admitted. They once used pagers to stay in touch with the department, but Crew enjoyed watching the job evolve over the years.

He has no immediate plans, but he has 17 grandkids and that means he'll be busy attending ball games.