Chief of Police Anthony Daykin is planning to retire after dedicating 13 years to UAPD.

Daykin’s retirement will begin January 2014, though he will stay on in an advisory capacity through June.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work here at the university and to help build a very strong and vibrant department,” Daykin said.

Daykin said he has devoted himself to making UAPD one of the premiere university police departments in the country by cultivating a top-notch police force, while also educating the university community on crime prevention and safety. Daykin, whose career in law enforcement spans more than 40 years, said he hired and promoted most of the personnel at the department.

“I’ve had the opportunity here to get to know some incredibly good people — faculty, staff, administrators and lots of students,” he said, adding that the people are what he’ll miss the most about his job.

Daykin said tragedies like the 2007 homicide of Mia Henderson and the shooting at the College of Nursing in 2002 stand out when he looks back at his career as chief.

He also said he wants to be remembered for his public service as chief and that of his department.

“I think most people in law enforcement take their greatest pride in the things that they’ve done that have helped people and helped society,” Daykin said. “We are doing something where you can look at the mirror in the morning … and say, ‘You know, I think I did some good today.’”

Born in 1949, Daykin spent his early childhood in England before moving with his family to Canada, where he lived until he was 15. They then moved to Michigan, where Daykin graduated from high school.

Propelled by a strong desire to serve his newly adopted country, Daykin enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1968, during the peak of the Vietnam War.

“All my friends thought I had things backwards because I had come from Canada to join the Marine Corps,” he said, “whereas a lot of people in the United States were going to Canada to avoid being in the military.”

During the war, Daykin suffered what he described as “minor” injuries from shrapnel ejected by an exploding landmine and was awarded the Purple Heart.

After returning to the U.S., Daykin enrolled at Eastern Michigan University and shortly thereafter decided he wanted to become a police officer. He did not earn a degree from Eastern Michigan, but went on to receive a graduate degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University.

He secured a job as an officer at the Tucson Police Department in August of 1972 and held five ranks during his 28-year career there.

“One thing I admire about [Daykin] is that he is a very thorough individual,” said Roberto Villaseñor, TPD chief of police. “He’s a perfectionist.”

Villaseñor, who has known the UAPD chief for more than 30 years, said that although he and Daykin didn’t always agree on issues that arose, he could always rely on Daykin to provide sound advice.

Daykin has kept UAPD involved with TPD and other state law agencies through partnerships such as Arizona’s Counter Narcotics Alliance, which allows the department to participate in regional law enforcement and bolster professionalism, Villaseñor said.

During his time as chief, Daykin also oversaw the implementation of new technology to ensure that UAPD stayed on the cutting edge.

He made sure every patrol car was equipped with state-of-the-art mobile data terminals and mounted digital cameras, according to Sgt. Filbert Barrera, public information officer and crime prevention supervisor for UAPD. The UAlert system, which sends the university community emergency notifications via text and email, was also created under Daykin’s leadership.

Administrators are currently deciding on the process by which to select Daykin’s replacement. The selection process will likely entail a national search, Daykin said.

Barrera said he is confident that Daykin’s replacement will be a capable one, but that the chief’s presence will be missed around the department.

“He’s definitely a cop’s cop,” Barrera said. “You always knew that he was going to be able to take care of us … We knew we were in good hands.”

An earlier version of this article was titled “Police Chief to resign after 13 years at UAPD.” Police Chief Anthony Daykin is retiring, not resigning. The previous version also said the College of Nursing shooting was in 2009. The shooting happened in 2002 This article has now been updated to reflect the changes.