Former Hamilton police chief Brian Mullan has died

Former Hamilton police chief Brian Mullan has died.

Hamilton police announced Mullan's death on their Twitter account Monday night.

The cause of death was not given but the tweet said the former chief of police was surrounded by his loved ones at the time of his death.

A Hamilton Police Retirees Association Facebook post also sent out condolences.

The post goes on to express sympathy to the retired chief's family.

Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger also tweeted his condolences.

I want to express my sincerest condolences on the passing of Brian Mullan earlier today. Brian served as a member of the @HamiltonPolice from 1974, retiring as Police Chief in 2009. Brian was a generous contributor to our community through volunteer service & will be missed," the tweet said.

Mullan, who spent 35 years on the Hamilton Police Service, retired as police chief in 2009 at the age of 55 after six years in the post.

In his time as Hamilton's top police officer, Mullan introduced the Hamilton police mounted unit which began operating in the spring of 2010.

At the time of his retirement, The Spectator's Susan Clairmont wrote that one of Mullan's highest profile achievements was the seizure of downtown's notorious Sandbar crack den, scene of two murders. Using the Civil Remedies Act, Hamilton became Canada's first police service to seize a crack house.

Mullan also welcomed new technology. Closed-circuit cameras now watch over the city. YouTube was used to seek information in a murder - a Canadian first. Boxes of documents on major cases have been replaced by electronic files. He also built unprecedented relationships with a wide range of communities within the city and set up a Chief's Advisory Committee on Minority Issues.

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