DC police chief stepping down to head security for NFL

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington police chief Cathy Lanier, the first woman to lead the department and one of the nation's longest-serving and most popular big-city police chiefs, announced Tuesday that she is stepping down to become head of security for the National Football League.

Lanier, 49, started her career with the Metropolitan Police Department as a patrol officer and rose through the ranks.

Lanier said at a news conference that she has rejected numerous offers to lead other big-city police departments, but she saw the opportunity to handle security for the nation's "favorite sport" to be too good to pass up.

Washington was dubbed the nation's murder capital during the crack epidemic of the 1990s — with more than 300 slayings a year in the city of roughly 600,000 — but violent crime had already decreased significantly by the time Lanier became chief amid the city's booming post-9/11 economy.

Lanier made $253,000 annually as police chief.

Because her departure is considered a retirement, she will receive an annual pension of roughly $177,000.