SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (AP)   A police chief in Maine is retiring after nearly 50 years in law enforcement.

South Portland Police Chief Edward Googins announced Wednesday that he will be stepping down in January.

The Portland Press Herald reports that 66-year-old Googins is credited with revitalizing the department which had a tarnished reputation when he took over in 1994.

Googins says his primary focus as chief has been fighting for and providing resources and equipment for officers to do the job safely.

He says “It’s been quite a career” and that he’s “loved every minute.”

Googins became chief of the South Portland force after working for 23 years in the Portland Police Department.

He became a police cadet right out of high school and at 21 was sworn in as a patrolman.