Washington police chief Cathy Lanier, the first woman to lead the department and one of the nation's longest-serving and most popular big-city police chiefs, announced Tuesday that she is stepping down to become head of security for the National Football League. Lanier, 49, started her career with the Metropolitan Police Department as a patrol officer and rose through the ranks. ''It is an honor for me to move to the next stage of my career knowing that I can use the experience and education that I have gained over the past 26 years to protect and serve all of the NFL, its fans, players and employees,'' Lanier said in a letter to the department's 3,700 officers. More...