Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau has officially announced his upcoming retirement.

In an email sent Sunday night to all sworn and civilian Ottawa Police Service members, Bordeleau wrote his term will end May 4, coinciding with his 35th anniversary in policing.

In early 2016, his contract was extended by the Ottawa Police Services Board until May.

"For the past seven years, I've had the distinct privilege and honour to lead the best police service in Canada which is made up of 2,000 sworn and civilian professionals and volunteers," he wrote.

"The nation's capital is blessed to have women and men of such a high caliber who are committed and passionate about keeping Ottawa safe."

Leading up to May 4, Bordeleau said he'll continue working to support officers, present a budget, submit a three-year business plan and ensure a smooth transition.

Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau says he'll step down as chief upon his retirement in May. Bordeleau's police career began in 1984. 1:13

Promoted to chief in 2012

Born and raised in Ottawa, and fluently bilingual, Bordeleau's policing career began in 1984 with the pre-amalgamation Gloucester Police Service.

He was named deputy chief of the Ottawa Police Service in August 2010, and prior to that served as superintendent of emergency operations.

Bordeleau was promoted to chief in March 2012, replacing now-Senator Vern White.

His priorities as chief included road safety, violence against women and trying to combat increasing gun and gang-related violence. Shootings have steadily increased in Ottawa, with six of the past eight years bringing record highs.

Matt Skof, the now-suspended president of the Ottawa Police Association, has had a difficult relationship with Bordeleau. (CBC)

Fractured relationship with union

Bordeleau's tenure was not without controversy.

He had a difficult relationship with the Ottawa Police Association's now-suspended president, Matt Skof, over eroding morale among rank-and-file officers, staffing and accountability concerns.

It came to a head in 2016, when Bordeleau was being investigated by the Ontario Civilian Police Commission for allegedly getting involved with a careless driving ticket that had been issued to his father-in-law.

After Bordeleau was cleared of misconduct, Skof publicly called on Mayor Jim Watson to deal with what he called a lack of accountability on Bordeleau's part, as well as eroding morale inside the force.

Watson eventually stepped into the fray to publicly defend Bordeleau, saying Skof's criticisms could undermine public confidence in the police force.

Accused of 'double standard'

The following year, the relationship between the police union and Bordeleau continued to sour.

Skof announced he was cutting ties with the police executive over what he called a "double standard" in the treatment of three senior officers facing allegations of fraud, evidence manipulation and obstruction of justice.

Bordeleau called for an outside police force to investigate, but didn't suspend the officers or restrict their responsibilities.

In response, Skof directed his staff to stop participating in joint ceremonial events and committees that weren't mandatory, and hinted that other officers could follow suit.

Uniforms at Pride

Also in 2017, Bordeleau came under fire for pledging to don his full uniform at that year's Pride parade in spite of Capital Pride's request that police leave their uniforms at home to make people of colour feel safe.

"We absolutely agree there's been incredible, tremendous gains made in the relationship between our police forces and the LGBTQ community.... What we're saying is that more work needs to be done ... so that it extends to our persons of colour in the community," Capital Pride board chair Tammy Dopson said at the time.

Bordeleau then backtracked, saying he'd wear a police golf shirt instead. "For many members of our service the request to exclude our uniforms felt like a rejection of that part of our identity and our own journey towards inclusion," he explained at the time.

He said he hoped the decision showed "our commitment to continue listening and building trust with the diverse communities we serve."

The greatest challenge for whoever takes his place as chief will be to build community confidence while supporting members of the force, Bordeleau said at a meeting of the Police Services Board Monday night.

The board has already started to discuss how it will go about looking for a new chief.