Fountain Valley police chief retiring after 29 years with the department

Fountain Valley Police Chief Kevin Childe will retire Friday after 29 years with the department.

The next police chief will be Capt. Matt Sheppard, the city said.

Childe, a Fountain Valley native and Marine Corps veteran, started his law enforcement career as an officer with the Fountain Valley Police Department in 1990 after attending the police academy at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, according to the department’s website.

Childe replaced Police Chief Dan Llorens, who also was a Marine veteran and served the department across three decades before retiring in 2017.

Early in his career, Childe worked with patrol, K-9 and SWAT units. While moving through the ranks, he served in nearly every division in the Police Department.

Childe was promoted to captain in the patrol division in 2004, making him responsible for all front-line police services.

In 2007, he moved to the support services division, making him responsible for investigations, dispatch, records, property and evidence, the department’s budget and more before returning to the patrol division as commander in 2012.

“[Childe] will be remembered as a pillar of the city, living his life and serving his community under the Marine motto, semper fidelis — always faithful. We wish him and his family all the best with their new adventure,” the Police Department said in a statement.

Childe, the city’s sixth police chief, is married and has two children.

Sheppard, who joined the department in 2000, will assume the role of chief on Saturday, according to Fountain Valley City Manager Rob Houston.

Sheppard has worked in patrol and as a field training officer, motor officer and SWAT crisis negotiator. He received a Medal of Merit in 2003 and a Medal for Lifesaving in 2010.

The Police Department is expected to formally announce the promotion Jan. 6, after the city government’s holiday recess, Houston said.

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