June 26—MITCHELL — Mitchell’s police chief is retiring after nearly 25 years on the force.
Michael Koster announced his retirement in a statement on Wednesday. His last working day is Friday, July 5.
He has served as chief of police since 2020, when he was acting chief of police, and was later promoted to a full-time position as part of the restructuring of the Department of Public Safety, which reorganized the Police and Fire/EMS departments to create individual chiefs to take the lead. each division, instead of one general department head.
Koster first joined the Mitchell Police Division in 2000 and served as a patrol sergeant beginning in 2006. In 2013, he received the city’s Pursuit of Excellence award in the Department of Public Safety and in 2014 was promoted to assistant police chief.
Koster was instrumental in starting and coordinating the city’s Citizen’s Police Academy. He also served as a training instructor, member of the Crime Prevention Team, co-leader of the Mitchell Department of Public Safety Honor Guard and has served in the Emergency Response Unit (SWAT Team).
