New London – Police Chief Margaret Ackley’s tumultuous seven years as the city’s top cop may be nearing an end.

Ackley plans to retire after three decades of service to the city, according to Leon Rosenblatt, the attorney representing her in an ongoing breach of contract lawsuit against the city.

In addition to a lingering work-related injury that involves nerve damage, Rosenblatt said Ackley has been the target of constant undeserved criticism, mostly at the hands of the local police union, since she became chief in 2009.

“She’s decided to retire because she can’t take it anymore. She needs to get out of that job before it kills her,” Rosenblatt said.

“Honestly, if the town wasn’t so rife with insane politics and if the leadership of the union had been willing to stop their constant effort to undermine her — I’m not sure she would have retired now,” Rosenblatt said. “Clearly the internal politics at the police department and government as a whole is a contact sport. A person can only take so much of it. It’s really completely outrageous and a tragedy she is being forced out.”

Ackley was not immediately available to comment. Rosenblatt said he did not know when she will retire.

“She’s not leaving this week,” he said.

Mayor Michael Passero said he was aware that Ackley had made inquiries about retirement to the city’s personnel administrator but had not spoken to Ackley directly.

“She’s been a resource for me since I got elected,” Passero said. “She’s had a long and distinguished career with the city. Some of the difficulties she’s had came before I was elected. I believe that under the new administration she’s done a fine job.”

Passero said he had no immediate plans to start the process for finding a replacement.

“We won’t start planning until we know what her plans are, but we’re open to working with her,” Passero said.

Deputy Chief Peter Reichard is already the acting chief because of Ackley’s current medical-related absence. Rosenblatt said Ackley was to have surgery on her right elbow related to nerve damage in her spine and likely the result of “repetitive trauma.”

Ackley has worked for the city since she was sworn in as a police officer on Aug. 14, 1986. With much fanfare she was named the first female city police chief in 2009.

Once chief, Ackley laid out plans to enhance community policing and increase accountability at the department, among other initiatives.

But she was almost immediately met with criticism from the local police union, which in a 2011 placed a paid advertisement in The Day claiming there was a “managerial crisis” at the department.” The union has also blamed her for an exodus of dozens of officers from the department.

Union President Todd Lynch, a frequent critic of Ackley, at one point filed a lawsuit against her claiming he had been targeted for discipline. He struck a conciliatory tone on Monday.

“It’s no mystery that the chief and I have had union issues for some time,” Lynch said. “I also realize she served the community well by putting her life on the line for almost 30 years. I wish her and her family well on retirement.”

Some of the friction between Ackley and the union traces back to the union’s support of former council member Michael Buscetto III in the run-up to the city’s first mayoral election. Ackley had accused Buscetto of harassment and undermining her authority and threatened a suit.

When Daryl Justin Finizio was elected, however, he negotiated an agreement to keep her from retiring where Ackley would be paid $25,000 to settle her complaint against Buscetto and signed a contract that included a cash payment and compensation time.

The City Council, however, rejected the contract and the $25,000 settlement. On July 28, 2013, Ackley filed suit against the city, Finizio and city attorney Brian Estep over the city’s refusal to honor her contract. Finizio has since been released from the suit.

Things became more unsettled in 2015 when Ackley filed an injunction request, as part of her lawsuit, claiming Finizio was interfering with her duties and sidelined her from important decisions related to the department.

A day later Finizio suspended Ackley, with pay, calling for an investigation into a host of allegations of misconduct against her — including that she had undermined contract negotiations with the police union and misrepresented financial information.

Ackley remained on leave for about 10 months until an independent investigation cleared her of any wrongdoing. She was back to work in May 2015.  From then until Sept. 27 of this year, Ackley used a combination of holiday, sick, injury, bereavement, vacation and Family and Medical Leave Act time to take 118 days off.

Ackley was also out of work for months following an injury sustained during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. In 2013 and 2014 she remained away from work on several more stretches of time — using accrued compensatory time before it evaporated because of a newly enacted city policy and later after her late father was diagnosed with cancer in 2013.

Rosenblatt said Ackley has dedicated much of her life to serving the city.

“It’s really too bad,” Rosenblatt said. “She is a terrific human being and she has been mistreated.”

g.smith@theday.com