In a quick vote Monday night, the City Council officially approved Det. Brian Krueger as Austin’s new police chief.

Krueger, a 26-year veteran of the Austin Police Department, still needs to pass a psychological exam before taking over the job, which he and Lt. John Mueller have been filling together on an interim basis since January, when former chief Paul Philipp retired.

The detective interviewed last week for the job, beating out two other finalists, both of whom came from outside the city.

On Monday, Krueger said he was happy to take on the new role in a city he’s enjoyed working and living in.

“It feels great,” he said. “I’m excited to take over leadership of the department.”

Krueger’s Austin career began in 1984, when he started as a patrol officer. Though he expected a quieter transition into the new job, the Hormel strike quickly dashed that.

Three years later, Krueger was among the first members of the APD’s Special Incident Response Team, which deals with high-risk cases such as drug busts and hostage stand-offs. He remains active with SIRT today and is currently the team’s leader.

Krueger said he had been seriously thinking about the chief’s position since 2000, when he interviewed for the captain spot but lost out to Curt Rude. Krueger said he felt he interviewed well, and despite not getting that job, he knew he had the skills to be a leader at the station.

As far as looking forward, Krueger said with a smile that he wouldn’t be working another 26 years in the department, but beyond that, he really didn’t know how long he’d like to remain the chief.

“I have numerous years yet,” Krueger added.