Anaheim : Anaheim Police Chief to Quit After 29 Years on Force

Anaheim Police Chief Jimmie D. Kennedy will retire at the end of the year, city officials said Tuesday.

Acting Anaheim City Manager Bob Simpson said Kennedy will retire Dec. 30 after serving 29 years on the force. He has been police chief of Orange County’s largest city since 1983.

Simpson said he will recommend that the council start a national search for a replacement. He added that no decision has been made on who will be named acting chief but suggested that the position might be rotated among various captains until a replacement is found.

Kennedy, 53, joined the force in 1978 as a patrol officer and worked in the detective, patrol and administrative divisions before becoming chief.

He is an adviser to the Governor’s Gang Violence Committee and a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Juvenile Arson and Firesetting. He was recently picked to attend the FBI’s National Executive Institute.

Kennedy is also a member of the International Assn. of Police Chiefs and has taught police science at Fullerton College for the past 17 years.

The Anaheim Police Department employs 327 full-time officers, 140 civilian personnel and 164 part-time employees and has a budget of $35 million.