The 20-year career of an Oak Harbor police officer known for putting away rapists and child abusers ended amidst acrimony this week.

Teri Gardner, the police captain, handed a “forced separation” letter to Chief Kevin Dresker Tuesday, explaining that she felt compelled to take an early retirement because of what she felt were Mayor Bob Severns’ unjust actions toward her. Tuesday was her last day.

In the letter, Gardner writes that Severns tried to force her to resign a couple of times over the last year and stripped her of her authority as second in command of the department. She also claimed that she faced sexism within the department and from city leaders.

“This deliberate disregard for my value is untenable and cannot continue into 2017,” she wrote.

In an interview, Gardner said she hasn’t decided whether she will file a lawsuit against the city.

Severns, on the other hand, denied many of the claims she made in her letter, especially any allegations of gender bias on his part. Many of the complaints she made, he said, took place under a previous mayor.

Severns sent Gardner a response letter Friday, accepting her retirement. He denied that he tried to “force” her out, but states that he did have serious concerns about her performance and that resignation was offered to her as an option after she failed to improve.

“Again and again,” Severns wrote, “the City provided you with opportunities to correct significant performance deficiencies so that you could take the necessary steps to successfully perform the duties of the Captain position.”

Severns admitted that the number of people Gardner supervised was limited. In a previous memo, he faulted her for contributing to morale issues in the department by micromanaging, as well as allegedly showing favoritism to some and meting out unfair discipline to others.

Gardner was once a rising star in the department. She made detective after just about three and a half years on the force. She became the first female sergeant in 2008 and the first female captain in 2014. She’s received 2,300 hours of training in everything from hostage negotiations to homicide investigations.

By most accounts over the years, Gardner was a gifted detective. She handled the department’s sex abuse and child abuse cases, as well as other felony-level crimes — including work on homicides. She was particularly skilled at conducting forensic interviews of children and was called on to help train other detectives and child advocates about techniques at the state’s criminal justice training center.

“It was important to me to extend the voice of an innocent child,” she said.

Even though Oak Harbor is a relatively small city, Gardner dealt with many sad and horrific crimes over the years. Out of the multitude of criminals she’s sent to prison, one who pops to her mind is Philip Poston. He was a child rapist who likely holds the state record on the amount of child pornography he possessed. He received an exceptional sentence and is still in prison.

The woman who was victimized as a child continued to keep in touch with Gardner for years afterward.

“There’s a bond that develops with victims,” she said. “They become like family.”

The case that will haunt her, Gardner said, was the 1997 murder of 7-year-old Deborah Palmer. Gardner re-investigated it as a cold case in 2010 and presented it to the behavioral unit of the FBI, but it remains unsolved.

While she investigated crimes, Gardner was also part of a department that saw its share of intrigue and controversy over the years — which she did not shy from. Strong personalities led to a division between detectives and patrol deputies. Gardner was part of a group of detectives that campaigned for Scott Dudley, a controversial figure who became mayor before Severns.

Gardner’s future in the department has been unclear since Severns fired Chief Ed Green last May, which came after the mayor’s investigation into in-fighting and morale problems in the department. The problems, he said, were a result of poor and unfair management of employees as well as a lack of clear communication in the department.

Severns also found that Gardner was part of the management problem. He limited her management responsibilities and hired an interim police chief to run the department. Dresker was eventually hired as the new permanent chief.

The in-fighting in the department came to a head a couple of years ago — before Severns was in office — in a controversy surrounding Gardner. Green gave Gardner — then the head of the detective unit — a letter of reprimand for allegedly being less than candid about her personal relationship with Sgt. Carl Seim, a subordinate in the department; the two are now married.

Gardner claims that she was never dishonest, that it was inappropriate for Green to ask her personal questions and that his letter was inaccurate. She also believes that her personal life was scrutinized “like no other male leader has ever experienced.”

At the same time, another officer temporarily lost his job for allegedly spreading rumors about a romantic relationship between Gardner and Seim. Some officers felt that the discipline of the other officer was unfair since Gardner only got a reprimand. Others felt that Gardner’s discipline was unfair altogether.

Amidst all the controversy, members of the police union passed a vote, by 16-10, of no-confidence against Gardner. A no-confidence vote was also taken in regard to Green. It failed to pass with 14 people voting against it, 11 voting for it and three abstentions.

Gardner said she’s received overwhelming support from the community since she retired this week. She said the community has respected her as a leader — regardless of her gender — but that was not so within the department.

When she was captain, for example, the sergeants below her had a higher base wage than she did, she said. She complained to the city, but she claims the matter was never resolved.

Severns, however, wrote that city officials did resolve the issue by conducting a salary survey that found her wage was fair and consistent with other jurisdictions. She made the same wage as the captain before her, he wrote.

While she has not decided whether to file a lawsuit, Gardner’s immediate plans call for some down time and family time. She’s not sure what the long-term future holds for her.

“My philosophy is that an opportunity will present itself if that’s what is meant to be,” she said.