In the midst of both community and federal scrutiny, Pasadena police Chief Phillip Sanchez announced his retirement Monday, effective April 18.

Sanchez has held the job since 2010.

“The decision to step away from serving my community is a difficult one which took much deliberation and careful thought,” he said in a statement. “Putting on the Pasadena police uniform everyday has truly been a humbling experience.”

Pasadena spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said she is not aware of plans for an interim chief at this point.

Sanchez added that he is “proud of the progress we have made as an agency during my tenure” and pointed to such initiatives as increasing both English and Spanish community outreach efforts and increasing the diversity of the department.

But his time leading the department has also been rife with controversy. In his retirement announcement, Sanchez did not make reference to the department’s struggles.

More recently, the department was under fire for failing to take two officers off the streets while they are under investigation for the beating of an African-American Altadena resident. The incident — which left Chris Bellew with a broken leg — took place in December, but the officers were not reassigned until this month.

Local activists, particularly among Pasadena’s Black Lives Matter movement, have called for his firing.

At last week’s City Council meeting, local activist Jasmine Richards laid out a list of demands from Pasadena’s Black Lives Matter chapter.

“Our first one would be to fire Chief Sanchez,” Richards said. “Why? Because he has been complicit in five officer-involved shootings himself in Santa Monica.”

She was referring to a partial deposition video that leaked in 2013, revealing his history at the Santa Monica Police Department, where he last served as deputy chief before taking the top spot in Pasadena at 53 years old.

She added, “Not only that, he came here and he’s like a mob boss. I told you guys time, time and time before that we the black community felt like an occupied territory and that (Pasadena police) were an occupying force, but you guys ignored me, and now look what happened.”

Richards also spoke about the ongoing federal investigation into Pasadena police Lt. Vasken Gourdikian, who has since been indicted for allegedly illegally selling over 100 guns he obtained through his job at the department, among other charges.

Sanchez has also faced scrutiny after the 2016 death of 35-year-old Reginald Thomas Jr., who died in police custody, and the 2012 death of 19-year-old Kendrec McDade, who was unarmed when two officers fatally shot him. The city agreed to an independent review of Thomas’ death. An independent report of McDade’s death found the department did not fully investigate the incident.

One regular department critic was less sharp-toned toward Sanchez than Richards. “While we have had our differences with Chief Sanchez, we have never called for his resignation or firing,” attorney Dale L. Gronemeier, member of the Coalition for Increased Civilian Oversight of Pasadena Police. “We wish him the best as he leaves Pasadena.”

One of the challenges Sanchez faced, Gronemeier said, was difficult police union leadership that over-zealously has defended the department’s “few bad apples.”

“Unfortunately, Chief Sanchez’ recent slowness in putting the officers who beat Chris Ballew on desk duty hasn’t been his finest hour,” Gronemeier said.