Lieutenant Denise Giuntoli, one of the Bainbridge Island Police Department’s last two lieutenants, has stepped down.

Giuntoli submitted a resignation letter to the city Oct. 20 and announced her plan to retire.

Her resignation was accepted by Police Chief Matthew Hamner on Oct. 22, and her last day on the job was Saturday, Nov. 1.

Giuntoli had been talking about retiring with higher-ups since early October. She had been employed with the Bainbridge department for more than 23 years.

“Such a decision naturally causes one to look back on her career with some nostalgia,” Giuntoli said in her resignation letter.

“I am proud to have served as a member of the department for nearly 24 years and will recount my time with the department fondly. A majority of my career with the department included supervisory positions of rank, which enabled me to grow and experience new challenges, such as attending the FBI National Academy.”

“While my longevity necessarily means that I have served under various Chiefs of Police, I am thankful for the opportunity to serve as a lieutenant while under your leadership,” she said in her letter to the chief.

“As I look forward to new and different opportunities, I will hold the community of Bainbridge Island and the Bainbridge Island Police Department close to my heart. I wish you and my colleagues continued success in the service and protection of this community. Thank you for your continued support as I prepare to leave this lengthy and rewarding career experience in favor of beginning a new and exciting chapter of my life,” she wrote.

Giuntoli is the third lieutenant to step down this year.

Lieutenant Phil Hawkins, who had been with the department 23 years, retired in March.

Lieutenant Christopher Jensen, a Bainbridge officer for more than 24 years, retired in May.

The three departures leave Lieutenant Bob Day as the department’s remaining lieutenant.

The department’s supervisors have been under increased scrutiny in recent years.

Hawkins and Giuntoli were reprimanded two years ago after Hawkins was accused of sleeping while on the job, and Giuntoli was disciplined for not reporting the incident.

Last year, two consultant reports that analyzed problems within the police department were critical of the lieutenants, who serve as the front-line supervisors in the department.

One report said the department had been in a “regular state of turmoil” in recent years that led to incidents of insubordination within the ranks of officers.

The assessment said lieutenants helped create a climate of a lack of discipline within the department, and added that line officers also had a poor view of their supervisors.

A different study said the current structure of the city’s police union was problematic because of the lieutenants’ role as supervisors but also as union representatives who defended officers faced with disciplinary actions.

Earlier this year, the city abandoned its effort to break up the police union to remove the lieutenants from the bargaining unit that mainly represents the rank-and-file officers.

The city is continuing, however, with its effort to remove the rank of lieutenant from the department’s command structure and institute the rank of sergeant instead.

At the last meeting of the city’s civil service commission, Chief Hamner told commissioners the proposal for sergeants had been sent to the police union for review.

“We are still in negotiations. Nothing’s changed,” Hamner told commissioners. “We’re still in a holding pattern.”