Walnut Creek police Chief Joel Bryden announced this week his plans to retire next year.

The chief, 55, said that after 33 years in law enforcement - the past five spent at the helm of the Walnut Creek Police Department - it is time for him to move on. Bryden informed his staff via e-mail and meetings this week that he expects to step down in the next six to eight months, he said.

When asked what some of his proudest achievements as police chief have been, Bryden noted Walnut Creek's low rate of violent crime, but said that the entire department deserves the credit for those statistics.

"It's a total team effort with the people working graveyards, working on the streets, making traffic stops on the people that a lot of people don't realize come through our town," he said.

The chief added that he still has plenty of work to do before his retirement and that he plans to help hire a new chief. A more immediate goal would be filling at least two vacant police officer positions, he said.

Once those roles are filled, the chief said he hopes to put motorcycle officers who have had to fill patrol shifts due to staffing shortages back on the streets.

"I believe they are effective in helping keep our traffic as safe as possible," he said.

Bryden worked at the San Diego Police Department for 28 years prior to his arrival in Walnut Creek, where he lives and plans to remain after his retirement.