The pending retirement of Margaret “Peg” Ackley as chief of the New London Police Department offers the chance to reset relations within the acrimonious department and restore public faith that the focus is on public safety and service and not internal politics.

Ackley’s tenure as police chief began in 2009 with both great promise and significant controversy. Unfortunately, the promise fell short and the controversy never abated.

Ackley was selected by City Manager Martin Berliner as the first woman to head the department, one of the last major managerial decisions before New London approved a charter change to an elected mayor form of governance.

Back then the City Council boxed in Berliner, rejecting his plans to conduct a broad search for a new chief, which would have allowed him to compare outside candidates with applicants from within the NLPD ranks. The council wanted an internal search only. A majority of councilors had an officer in mind. It wasn’t Capt. Ackley.

So when Berliner spurned the council wishes by selecting the 23-year veteran Ackley, and in the process also rejected the favored choice of the union, it assured the new chief would face a tough challenge.

In those early days of as chief, Ackley became the face of the department with a high public profile that many in the community welcomed, attending civic functions, meeting with neighborhood groups, mingling at city celebrations. She also did a good job of cutting down on patrol overtime.

For years the city had gone behind doors to assess civilian complaints alleging police misconduct. Ackley, correctly, assured that the complaints and the subsequent investigations into them were handled in public.

But these actions, applauded by this newspaper, only widened the divide between the chief and union leadership. Disciplinary actions Ackley took against officers for alleged transgressions, often challenged by the union, deepened the hostility.

Ackley was never able to move past the internal controversies that roiled her department and city politics. Her greatest chance came with the election of New London’s first mayor under its new form of government, Daryl Justin Finizio.

In 2011, prior to the mayoral election, Ackley had reached a deal to step down. She blamed her pending departure on political interference into the operations of her department, undermining her authority. Finizio, campaigning as the outsider to clean up New London politics, was the beneficiary, winning both the Democratic primary and general election.

Finizio reached a deal to keep Ackley as chief (though the council subsequently refused to approve it) and used buyout offers to remove top officers, giving the chief the ability to mold the department hierarchy.

Yet the internal strife continued. In time Finizio and his chief found themselves at odds, leading him to suspend Ackley for 10 months with pay in 2014-2015 as he tried to make the case that he had “just cause” to remove her, the high legal threshold required in Connecticut. Finizio failed to make his case, according to an independent evaluation, damaging his own reputation as he lost his re-election bid in 2015.

Litigation, initiated by the chief and others, has added to the mess. It is for the good of the city, the police officers, and the chief that she moves on with her retirement Jan. 10.

As for a successor, while Mayor Michael Passero should cast a wide net to see what candidates might be available for the job, the mayor should seriously consider moving Deputy Chief Peter Reichard into the position, should he choose to apply. Reichard has served long periods as acting chief, including during Ackley’s 10-month suspension and her frequent absences due to medical issues. Ackley has been out of work since Nov. 8.

Operations have run relatively smoothly while Reichard has filled in. He appears to have a far better relationship with the union. And his experience would make for a seamless transition. The city also needs to fill the deputy chief position, which the department has effectively been without during Ackley’s absences.

Ackley deserves due credit for 30 years of service to the city. Though in recent years she has not made herself available to the press, we recall Ackley did start her tenure by making her department more transparent. But her time in command was a turbulent one, and for that she is ultimately responsible.