In a press release sent Thursday, Ward chalks his decision up to two factors: he achieved what he set out to accomplish and the job offer was too good to refuse.
In 2015, Ward, now 50, took over for Chief Jane Castor, who retired that year (and is now rumored to be considering a run for mayor). Though Ward was scheduled to retire in 2018 under the Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP), he plans to retire later this month to take a job with Coca-Cola Beverages, Florida LLC.
"This has been an extremely difficult decision," Ward said in a written statement. "I have spent virtually my entire adult life at the Tampa Police Department. This department and the people here have made me the person that I am today. I will always be grateful to Mayor Bob Buckhorn for the experiences and opportunities to serve the Tampa community as their Chief of Police… I know that I'm leaving the department in excellent shape and in good hands. Now, I'm looking forward to the next chapter.''
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said he plans on conducting a national search, and that Assistant Police Chief Brian Dugan will helm the department in the interim.
The mayor applauded Ward's work.
"From his time as a young officer to the leadership he's provided to Tampa's finest, I can certainly speak for the entire City of Tampa staff when I say Eric's presence will be sorely missed," Buckhorn said in a statement. "His career and service to the City of Tampa has been impeccable at every turn and I am grateful for his years of service to the community and department he loves. The Tampa Police Department is better for his leadership and ready for its next chapter. We wish him all the best in his next endeavor."
The start of his tenure was marked with controversy over a department policy targeting African Americans on bicycles in underserved neighborhoods. While it wasn't his decision to implement the policy, he caught fire from local civil rights leaders for not pledging to get rid of it immediately. The U.S. Department of Justice ultimately told the department to curb the program.
Since then, there was little to no controversy for the department.
When he took office in May of 2015, he pledged to engage with at-risk youth and cut violent crime.
During his time in office, the violent crime rate dropped by 16.5 percent citywide and property crime fell by 6.8 percent in 2016.
This article appears in Jul 6-13, 2017.