Yuba City Police Chief Richard Doscher has announced his retirement, effective at the end of the year.

The city's police chief since 1995, Doscher is retiring as Yuba City finds itself struggling to deal with gang-related violence. Monday's fatal drive-by shooting of a 15-year-old was the third fatal gang-related shooting within two months on a six-block stretch of Bridge Street.

Earlier this week, responding to critics of the Police Department's effectiveness who posted comments on the Appeal-Democrat Web site, Doscher replied that members of his department "do one hell of a job under the most difficult of situations."

In an interview Friday, Doscher, 56, said he began discussing retirement with his family about 18 months ago, informed senior staff members a year ago and firmed up his plans in mid-January — a timeline he said should put to rest possible speculation that his decision is tied to the recent gang incidents.

He said he could have retired six years ago. He joined the Police Department in 1977.

Doscher's salary is $171,910, according to Yuba City records.

Before leaving, Doscher will help find funds for a gang suppression unit and will aid in selecting his replacement, City Manager Steve Jepsen said.

Doscher said he strongly hopes Jepsen and the City Council choose his successor from within the department.

"I believe they will find the talent present remarkable and very capable to take the agency to the next level in law enforcement performance," the chief said.

Mayor Rory Ramirez said the replacement process will include reviewing candidates within the department as well as conducting a search "globally."

"We have some very capable and competent people who have been with the department for awhile. I hope they would be putting their names in the hat," the mayor said.

The ideal outside candidate would be "someone who has been a police chief in an area similar to ours or larger than ours to some degree, who's had hands-on, real-world experience in dealing with gangs," Ramirez said.

Any candidate "must have a sense of what a community like ours is all about. We're at the point in growth where we're too big to be small and too small to be big," the mayor said.

Ramirez called Doscher "a quality human being who always tries to do the right thing for the right reason in the right manner."

"He's in some difficulties now, but he's not alone," Ramirez said.

"If anybody took the time to evaluate (what Doscher has done) with the limitation on resources ... the guy has done an outstanding job," he said.

Doscher said he hopes to continue as a volunteer with the department by coordinating the department's Web site as he has done for 10 years.

Other than that, he said his retirement will include attending competitive horsemanship events, photography, astronomy, ministry for his church and possibly volunteering for a local hospice agency or the cancer society.

Among his accomplishments as chief, Doscher cited bringing community policing to the city in 1996, the year after he became chief, and selecting senior leaders who function "in harmony for the benefit of our community and (are) not reluctant to question policy decisions."

A complete modernization of technological infrastructure has led to the department being classified by the state and federal governments as "the most technologically advanced police agency for its size in the United States," Doscher said.

"I am very pleased with the department, its goals and objectives and the path it is taking to address community and regional problems," Doscher said.

"If folks believe the department is only reactionary, I would suggest they come down and ride with our men and women or observe the support staff. They will surely be impressed," he said.

Doscher began his law enforcement career as a U.S. Air Force military police officer, then was an investigator for the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration before joining the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Rob Young at 749-4710 or at ryoung@appealdemocrat.com. Appeal-Democrat Editor Len La Barth contributed to this report.