AUSTIN—The director of the Texas Department of Public Safety announced his retirement Friday after criticism of his agency over a June fire that severely damaged the historic Governor’s Mansion.

Col. Tommy Davis issued a terse statement saying that after 43 years and nine months with the DPS, he is retiring on Aug. 31. He didn’t elaborate on his reasons.

Allan Polunsky, chairman of the Public Safety Commission that oversees DPS, said he has “the utmost respect for Colonel Davis” and that he didn’t ask Davis to retire.

“Colonel Davis’ decision to retire was entirely his own,” Polunsky said. But he went on to say the June 8 fire at the Governor’s Mansion illuminated problems at DPS, an agency Polunsky described as mired in tradition that “hasn’t seen a whole lot of forward-thinking.

“So it’s probably time for someone to come in and take it to the next level,” Polunsky said.

An e-mail Polunsky sent to Davis about eight hours after the fire began and obtained by The Associated Press under the Texas Public Information Act indicated that Polunsky was irritated he wasn’t told of the fire right away.

“I find it regrettable that I learned of this event from various news sources two hours ago and have yet to be briefed by the Department,” Polunsky wrote to Davis.

Polunsky, who also ordered an investigation into the fire and the DPS’ role in guarding the mansion, told the AP on Friday that he was upset the fire hadn’t been reported to him immediately and that Davis called him 20 to 30 minutes after receiving his note.

The law enforcement department has been reeling from bad publicity and scrutiny from critical lawmakers.

Multiple security glitches have been identified at the 152-year-old mansion, the official residence of Gov. Rick Perry that is watched over by DPS state troopers. The state fire marshal’s office suspects arson, but no arrests have been made.

Perry was not living there when the fire began because of a maintenance and renovation project under way. Only one trooper was guarding the building. An internal investigation revealed the trooper wasn’t adequately trained to monitor the mansion’s security system, which wasn’t working properly, officials said.

Surveillance video shows someone igniting an object and throwing it onto the mansion porch.

An e-mail Davis sent to Polunsky the day after the fire updated him on the status of the investigation and said arson investigators had an unidentified “person of interest” in the case. Another e-mail from Polunsky to Davis that day told him to increase security at all buildings in the Capitol complex.

DPS employees also expressed shock in e-mails they sent each other the morning of the fire. “Oh no!” one proclaimed. “So sad,” said another.

DPS spokeswoman Tela Mange said she did not know whether the fire and ensuing questions about the agency were factors in Davis’ decision to retire. She said Davis was making no further statements about his departure.

“He’s been eligible to retire for quite a long time. I think he just decided it was time to go and enjoy himself for a while,” she said.

Last month, Polunsky, told Texas lawmakers who are reviewing the DPS that he was committed to improving the department. He later gave a lukewarm endorsement of Davis’s leadership ability, saying, “We’ll see with time.”

“Colonel Davis will need to implement these changes, and if he is unsuccessful or unwilling to do so, and I’m speaking in the hypothetical, then we’ll find someone else,” Polunsky told news reporters at the June 24 meeting.

Davis, 67, is the tenth director of the department since its creation in August 1935. Davis joined the DPS in 1964 and rose through the ranks, becoming assistant director in 1997 and director on March 1, 2000.

Perry said in a prepared statement: “Col. Davis has been a public servant of long-standing and I am grateful for his distinguished service to the people of the State of Texas. I wish him well in his retirement.”

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst also wished Davis well and thanked him for “making his number one priority protecting all Texans and keeping our state safe during his more than four decades of service.”