RALEIGH — The public is invited to attend a retirement ceremony honoring Raleigh police Chief Harry Patrick Dolan on Friday afternoon.

The event is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. in Fletcher/Memorial Hall at the Progress Energy Center for Performing Arts, 2 E. South St. His retirement is effective Oct. 1.

Dolan came to Raleigh five years ago from Grand Rapids, Mich., to serve as chief of the Raleigh department, capping 32 years in law enforcement.

He leaves behind a legacy of community policing, an initiative that helped curb crime in what was one of the most dangerous areas of Raleigh.

Dolan’s department began tracking and analyzing gang-related crimes in 2009 and, by the end of that year, the number of homicides had been cut by more than half.Deputy Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown will serve as interim chief while the city searches for his successor.