Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders will be stepping down from his position on July 31. He made the announcement during a news conference this afternoon.

Saunders has been Chief of Police since 2015 and was expected to remain in the position until at least 2021. His resignation comes after more than 37 years with the Toronto Police Service and eight months before his contract is set to expire.

He did not give a reason for his decision, but said he plans to spend more time with his family. 

As for what’s next, he says he’s not retiring altogether and wants to work for the City of Toronto for free on issues that are “near and dear” to him.

“I see a lot of young black boys getting killed by young black boys” said Saunders “Law enforcement deals with those symptoms and I want to help the cure for the disease and I think I have a ton of knowledge that can help keep governments in-check and do the right thing to make sure that we get it right.”

Watch the police chief’s comments below: