TOLEDO, Ohio — Former Toledo Police Chief Derrick Diggs has died, according to a statement from the Fort Myers Police Department in Florida.
He was 67.
Diggs worked for Toledo police for 37 years before retiring in 2014. He served his final two years in Toledo as chief - the first Black man to serve in that role.
He began serving as Fort Myers police chief in 2016.
The department released a statement Wednesday:
On behalf of Acting Chief Pepitone and the entire Fort Myers Police Department family, it is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Police Chief Derrick Diggs.
Chief Diggs, an Ohio native, has served over 46 years in law enforcement with his last years committed to the City of Fort Myers and its residents. Words are insufficient to describe the commitment to service and dedication that were of top importance to him.
What Chief Diggs accomplished during his tenure with the Fort Myers Police Department will forever leave an impression on police work within this department. Through his leadership, the Fort Myers Police Department has grown and elevated its level of service and respectability.
Our thoughts are with Chief Diggs family, friends, and colleagues both past and present, through this difficult time.
Diggs had been on medical leave since July, according to the Fort Myers News-Press.
Interim Toledo Police Chief Michael Troendle offered condolences on Twitter.
WTOL 11 interviewed Diggs on his last day on the job in Toledo in 2014.
"I don't know how it works for everybody else," he said at the time. "But the bottom line is this: this is my city, that's how I feel. And I feel like this is my police department.
"I'm honored to have been able to serve as chief of police."
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