University of Minnesota Police Chief Greg Hestness will retire next spring after 11 years on the job.

Hestness, who also serves as the university's assistant vice president for public safety, began his tenure in 2003, after serving with the Minneapolis Police Department for 28 years, eventually rising to the rank of deputy chief. He plans to retire in June, university officials said.

"The university community has enjoyed a steady drop in on-campus crimes through the past decade and has benefited greatly from Greg's leadership through major changes, including the return of Gopher football to campus, the opening of the Green Line LRT, large events too numerous to mention, and tremendous growth both on and off campus," Pamela Wheelock, the university's vice president for university services, said in a statement.

Hestness also drew praise from Wheelock for his handling of a string of brazen and violent campus crimes last year, when he took the unusual step of asking the city to direct additional officers to the area.

A Minneapolis native, Hestness received bachelor's and master's degrees from the U and a master's from St. Mary's University. He also graduated from the FBI National Academy, the Senior Management Institute for Police and the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators Executive Development Institute, an online biography said.

Wheelock said U officials will begin the process of hiring a new chief.

Libor Jany