Clear Creek Sheriff Rick Albers announces retirement: "Mixed emotions"

A controversial Colorado sheriff is retiring after over four decades.

Clear Creek Sheriff Rick Albers first made national and international headlines following Christian Glass's death at the hands of police in Clear Creek County, including at least one of his deputies, last year.

Albers announced his retirement, effective Aug. 3, on the sheriff's office's Facebook page Wednesday.

"It is with mixed emotions that I am announcing my retirement," Albers said. He continued by thanking current and former staff of the sheriff's office and the Clear Creek County community. "It has meant the world to me to be the recipient of so much love, encouragement, and support during this time."

Glass' parents and Clear Creek county commissioners called out the sheriff for not taking full responsibility for the 22-year-old's death. Glass' parents, Sally and Simon, had been explicitly calling for his resignation.

Glass died when he was shot by deputies and officers that responded to his call to 911 after his car broke down on a dirt road.

"It's overdue," said Matt Cron, an attorney at Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC, the law firm representing Sally and Simon Glass. "I think he should have resigned a long time ago for his role in the deficient leadership of the department after Christian Glass' killing."

Albers has served as the sheriff of Clear Creek County since 1980.