GLENS FALLS -- Glens Falls will get its first female police chief on Dec. 12.

That is the day Chief Will Valenza will retire, and Capt. Michelle Arnold will become acting chief.

It appears Arnold will be the provisional police chief well into next year, as Glens Falls Mayor Jack Diamond said he has not determined when he will ask that a Civil Service test for the permanent police chief position be offered.

Arnold has been second-in-command of the department for about a year, after a promotion from sergeant last year. She said she intends to take the Civil Service test for chief. She said she is excited about the opportunity.

Diamond said he has not heard from anyone else who has an interest in the position.

He said the department could choose to promote from within or begin a nationwide search, but at this point no decisions have been made as to which way to go.

“We have the consolidation issue hanging out there,” he said. “I want to wait to see what direction we are going in.”

The city recently received a report from the state Division of Criminal Justice services detailing options for consolidation of police services with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.