The woman tapped by San Diego's mayor-elect as his choice to replace retiring Chief of Police William Lansdowne is on schedule to retire in four years.
Assistant Chief Shelley Zimmerman was named as the first choice to be Lansdowne's replacement by Mayor-Elect Kevin Faulconer.
Faulconer made the announcement Wednesday, saying he will officially appoint her once he is sworn in as mayor on Monday.
However, NBC 7 has learned Zimmerman entered the department's Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP) on March 2, 2013.
As the rules dictate, Zimmerman must exit DROP on March 1, 2018.
Afterwards, she may return to work within the department as a provisional employee for a maximum of 90 days per year.
On Tuesday, Lansdowne announced he will be stepping down effective March 3.
