Bloomfield police chief David Karst to retire at the end of the month
David Karst has been police chief since February 2019
- The Bloomfield Police Department announced on its Facebook page on Aug. 12 that David Karst was going to retire at the end of the month.
- He has been the police chief since Feb. 4, 2019, taking over the position after former police chief Randy Foster retired in June 2018.
- Karst spent 13 years at the Farmington Police Department before moving over to Bloomfield police.
FARMINGTON — The Bloomfield police chief is set to retire at the end of the month, as he looks to spend more time with this family while also showing interest in running for the state Legislature.
The Bloomfield Police Department announced on its Facebook page on Aug. 12 that David Karst was going to retire at the end of the month.
He has been the police chief since Feb. 4, 2019, taking over the position after former police chief Randy Foster retired in June 2018, according to The Daily Times archives.
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Karst spent 13 years at the Farmington Police Department before moving over to Bloomfield's police force.
Karst told The Daily Times he was able to use his time in the military toward his retirement and that he has been eligible to retire since February. He served for five years in the Marine Corps and is a veteran of the Iraq War.
“I felt like I've really accomplished just about everything I've wanted to at Bloomfield,” Karst said. “I think the department is definitely in a great spot where they can continue to move forward without me.”
While reflecting on this time in Bloomfield, he recalled several things of which he was proud.
He cited that it has been more than a year since they had an open job position as the police department has been fully staffed.
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Karst believes he is leaving the department in great shape where everyone in the agency has some level of buy-in to its success.
“I think one of the biggest things that I'm really proud of is succession, leadership, and mentoring is what I would call it and that's basically where everybody, not one person, holds the keys in place,” Karst said.
He said he was proud of the work the department implemented in terms of technology, which allows officers to file reports quicker, and redesigning the computer system for patrol vehicle and body cameras.
Karst also implemented body cameras on all officers before the state Legislature mandated their use.
The chief said he will miss the people he worked with in law enforcement while working in the community.
“I'm truly (going to) miss the day-to-day interactions with all the officers everywhere,” Kart said.
For the future, he is looking at spending time with his children. Karst is also examining options to run for state office.
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“At the state level, I don’t know if we’re going in the direction we need to be,” Karst said.
He believes being retired will give him a leg-up on the competition as other state representatives and senators tend to work a full-time job on top of legislative work.
Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.
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