The International Falls City Council acknowledged a letter from Police Chief Michael Kostrick announcing his departure effective Jan. 4, 2026, and voted to accept the letter as a retirement.

Chief Kostrick addressed the council and described the decision as the end of a long career. “I’m not going to be a cop anymore,” he said, calling the choice bittersweet and noting nearly 20 years of police work.

He thanked the department and said he was leaving a department “better than it’s ever been” because of the people who work there. “I felt like my job was just to show the public and show all of you how good they were,” Kostrick said.

A councillor moved to accept the letter and amend the acknowledgement to treat the document as a letter of retirement rather than a resignation; that amendment was seconded and the council recorded majority support. One councilor expressly recorded a no vote because of the amendment.

The council did not take additional personnel actions at the meeting; no timeline for selecting a replacement was set during the recorded discussion.