GUSTINE – Police Chief Kris Anderson, who has been on paid administrative leave since being arrested in late February on suspicion of drunken driving, will step down from his position.

Anderson said Tuesday afternoon that he has decided to retire.

He said he advised city officials of that decision earlier in the day.

City Manager Margaret Silveira said details of the retirement are still being finalized.

“I am going to retire,” Anderson told Mattos Newspapers. “I am grateful for all the spontaneous efforts of so many friends to champion my continued employment in Gustine. Nevertheless, after 30 years of a rich and rewarding career in law enforcement, retirement is the right thing to do.”

His future as chief of police in Gustine had been uncertain since the DUI arrest.

Many in the community backed the police chief and urged the city to reinstate him as the chief of police, while others questioned how he could effectively continue in that role.

“The last thing I want to do is fragment this community over what I consider to have been a personal lapse of good judgment,” Anderson commented. “I want what is best for Gustine. I always said it is important to do the right thing, and at this juncture (retiring) was the right thing.”

Anderson said he “would have done just about anything” to continue serving as Gustine’s police chief, but did not want to do so at the expense of eroding public confidence.

“I think he made the right decision. Every move he made from here on out would have been scrutinized,” said council member Joe Oliveira. He added, though, that Anderson “did a lot of good things here, and I hope they stay intact.”

Mayor Rich Ford said he had “gone through every conceivable scenario in my head, and just could not see how it would work” for Anderson to stay on as police chief.

He, too, had words of praise for Anderson and his style of policing.

“He has done a lot of positive things in this community, and not just in the police department,” Ford commented. “I hope that we can continue the community-oriented policing.”

Council member Jim Bonta and Oliveira said they look forward to the city being able to put the incident in the past and focus on pending projects and improvements.

“Hopefully we can move forward and put this behind us, and start working on positive things,” Oliveira commented.

Acting Police Chief Devon Stavrowsky said in a statement issued Tuesday that the department would continue to emphasize a community policing approach to law enforcement, with positive community relations as a top priority.

Anderson said he believes he is leaving the department on solid ground.

“That department right now is a healthy, whole, functional department,” he commented. “It is important to me that the department flourish.

“I love that town,” Anderson added. “I hold Margaret Silveira and the council in high regard. I think they are making tremendous progress in addressing some of the things that are a concern to everybody.”

Anderson was hired by former City Manager Roger Wong as police chief in January 2007.

His tenure in Gustine was sometimes rocky.

In July, the Gustine Police Officers Association adopted a vote of no confidence in the chief, citing concerns about his leadership of the department and staffing issues. The vote of no confidence was withdrawn later in the year.

Anderson was arrested early Sunday morning, Feb. 24, by the California Highway Patrol as he was driving on Interstate 580 at Corral Hollow Road.

He was scheduled for arraignment Monday in San Joaquin County Superior Court on the misdemeanor DUI charge. The arraignment was postponed until April 15.