Longtime Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper is stepping down after 10 years as the Magic City's top cop the same way he started the job - with a lot of prayer.

Roper officially announced Wednesday he leaving the department, capping weeks of speculation following the election Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, who asked all department heads to reapply for their positions. The deadline was Nov. 13, and the 54-year-old Roper said he and his family chose not to do so after a considerable amount of prayer. "At that time," Roper said, "I advised Mayor-Elect Woodfin, my executive staff and closest friends."

Sunday marked his 10th anniversary at the helm of The Birmingham Police Department. "That's an extremely long time to serve in one of the most demanding jobs in the state of Alabama,'' Roper said in an interview with AL.com Wednesday.

"When Mayor (Larry) Langford recruited me 10 years ago, I had no idea I would work under four mayors - two elected and two interim. Each afforded me the privilege to serve with our honorable employees and citizens in the amazing city of my birth."

Roper's retirement is not unexpected as change is likely with any new administration. And, Woodfin on the campaign trail heavily criticized the way Birmingham is policed and vowed that crime would be addressed differently under his leadership.

Still, area law enforcement officials said Roper will be missed. "On a personal note, I consider Chief Roper a dear friend. He has dedicated his life to public service not only in law enforcement but to our country by his longtime military service,'' said Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale. "I know him to be a dedicated family man and a man of faith. He will be missed."

Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis, Roper's former boss, echoed Hale's thoughts. "He's a great friend and a credit to law enforcement. I hate to see him leave Birmingham,'' Derzis said. "Hopefully he will go on to another career that will be as rewarding as this one has been."

"He truly cares about his officers,'' said Dave Hyche, ATF's assistant special agent in charge in Alabama. "I respect him as both a professional and a man who has never been afraid to express his faith God."

As Roper prepares to wind down his service to BPD, he reflected on his time in the city and the strides made. "Although this city is bursting with terrific potential, it also has tremendous challenges,'' he said. "However, over the last 10 years, major crime categories like homicides, rapes, burglaries and robberies are down double-digit percentages in spite of the significant issues of poverty, education and economics, which affect crime and victimization rates in our must vulnerable communities."

Under Roper's tenure, the city's homicide totals ebbed and flowed, always mirroring national trends. Here's a look at the numbers during the 10 years he was in office: 2007, 93; 2008, 88; 2009, 71; 2010, 62; 2011, 57; 2012, 72; 2013, 66; 2014, 59; 2015, 66 and 2016, 104.

It was an issue close to his heart as both he and his wife lost loved ones to murder. The chief's brother, 19-year-old Shawn Roper, was killed on Third Avenue West in 1992 during a robbery. Edith Roper's brother, 27-year-old James Johnson Jr. was killed during a break-in at a family member's Central City apartment in 1978.

With four weeks left in 2017, the city's homicide total stands at 97. Of those, at least five have been ruled justifiable and therefore aren't deemed criminal. Countywide, there have been 151 homicides including Birmingham's 97. Jefferson County ended 2016 with 151 homicides.

"We're all deeply troubled with the increase in homicides so we're not where we need to be, but in reality, Birmingham is a much safer city today than it was 10 years ago and that's directly attributable to the men and women who staff this department."

Those successes, the chief said, took place during what most policing experts consider the most challenging period in modern law enforcement history. "Unfortunately, we have over-relied on an under-resourced police department when a comprehensive whole of government approach is needed to address these grassroots issues,'' he said. "These are coupled with an overwhelmed and underfunded criminal justice system which is now releasing thousands of people back into our communities without the proper safety net."

"Socio-economics like poverty, mental health, education and unemployment issues with our young black men has not improved to the degree necessary for sustainable change,'' Roper said. "We cannot simply arrest our way to a solution when the back door of the criminal justice system is wide open."

Roper said the region needs Birmingham to be successful and he believes Woodfin has the vision and energy to be extremely successful. "I've worked very closely with several members of his executive team in the past and I believe they are top-notch leaders,'' he said. "I will always be a fan of Birmingham and the BPD and look forward to volunteering in the community as I did prior to becoming chief. My family and I are extremely proud of and grateful to the officers, professional staff members, citizens and partner agencies who have supported me through my tenure."

Roper has long been a well-known and well-respected lawman. Over the past three decades the Birmingham native has risen simultaneously from a bus boy who shucked oysters at a Southside bar to a brigadier general in the Army Reserve and head of the state's largest police force.

In addition to ascending to high ranks in parallel careers, Roper also is a husband, father of two daughters and an ordained minister. "He's a gentleman. He has not changed. I'm treated like a queen, and he is treated like a king in this household," said Edith Roper, his wife of more than 30 years said in a previous interview. "We have a marriage that exemplifies Christ. I was drawn to that then and that's the same thing I'm drawn to now."

"His integrity - people trust him. He's very compassionate; he's understanding, and he's sensitive to people," Edith Roper said. "That hasn't stopped, in all of his careers. To explain it in natural terms, I can't. Spiritually, it's the hand of God to just do exceedingly well in everything he touches."

Roper began his policing career in 1985 with the Montgomery Police Department. Three years later, Roper joined the Hoover Police Department rising through the ranks to assistant police chief. He was appointed chief of the Birmingham Police Department in November 2007 by then-mayor Larry Langford.

Roper grew up in several Birmingham neighborhoods, including Acipco and Fountain Heights. When he was appointed chief 10 years ago, he was emotional when he spoke of growing up on what some people would describe as "the wrong side of the tracks." He said he was blessed to have an opportunity to make a difference where there is so much "hopelessness and despair."

After graduating from Phillips High School, Roper attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham through his sophomore year.

He left to join the Montgomery Police Department Academy, eventually graduating from Troy State University. He received a master's degree in criminal justice from the University of Alabama.

Roper served three years in Montgomery as a patrol officer, academy instructor and recruiter. One of his supervisors there encouraged him to apply to Hoover to ease the strain of the commute.

In Hoover, Roper served two years as a patrol officer, two years as a narcotics investigator, four years as a traffic sergeant, four years as the training lieutenant, three years as commander of the traffic and patrol divisions and two years as commander over investigative services. He was named assistant chief in April 2005.

In addition to his policing career, Roper has 35 years of military service. He was deployed during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and again during Operation Enduring Freedom, where he served as the military spokesman for all U.S. Army forces in Afghanistan.

"He is a top-tier officer and leader," Leonette Slay, deputy chief for management and support for the 81st Regional Readiness Command where Roper was formerly assigned, said in 2007. "We have been fortunate enough to have him leading our troops in wartime and in our support activities on behalf of our soldiers and our families."

Roper is also the recipient of numerous military awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star and the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award, which is given annually to the top U.S. Army officers in the nation.

When Langford appointed Roper, he said he wanted a chief with a strong military style of policing. "All of my adult life I've worn a uniform. From the ninth grade, at the age of 13, when I joined junior ROTC, I've worn a uniform in some shape, form or fashion," Roper said in 2007. "There are certain values that are ingrained in me: dignity, honor, ethics, commitment, dedication - and all of that I bring to the table.

"Whether it's a military style, I can't say that, but I do believe in the chain of command. I do believe in setting expectations and holding people accountable, and I think the entire police department is ready for that."

When Roper, who touts ethics and effort, took the chief's job in Birmingham, he made three promises: greet the recruits on their first day of the academy, personally teach them the ethics class himself and run with them through a city neighborhood before they graduated. He carried through will those promises for all 10 years. ''I want every new recruit to hear from the boss what's expected of them in terms of ethics,'' Roper said in 2007.

Roper will stay on to help Woodfin through the transition and the hiring of a new chief. His last day of service has not yet been announced, nor any specific plans for his future. "I'm excited about the next season of life,'' he said, ''so my family and I will take some time and then consider our options for future service."

Many say his departure will leave a void. "It saddens me to know that Chief A.C. Roper will no longer be at the helm of the Birmingham Police Department,'' said Sgt. Heath Boackle, president of the state's largest Fraternal Order of Police.

"Chief Roper has exemplified true leadership, manifested by not only his command, but in his ability to mentor directly and informally, at every level of the department. He has single handedly redefined what true leadership is consistent with."

"His presence will be sorely missed, and the void most assuredly difficult to fill,'' Boackle said. "On behalf of the Executive Board, and the membership of Birmingham Lodge #1 Fraternal Order of Police we thank Chief Roper for all he has done."