Redondo Beach Police Chief Announces Retirement After 31 Years With Department: ‘Bittersweet’

REDONDO BEACH, CA — The chief of the Redondo Beach Police Department plans to retire at the year’s end after more than three decades with the department, he announced recently.

Redondo Beach Police Chief Joe Hoffman said in a LinkedIn post that his last day will be Dec. 26.

“While the decision to retire is bittersweet, I do so with an immense sense of gratitude and accomplishment,” Hoffman said.

In a recent newsletter, Council Member Scott Behrendt said the city has started the process of finding Hoffman's replacement, The Daily Breeze reported.

Hoffman said he started his career with the department as a cadet in 1994.

Despite his father, a Los Angeles police homicide detective, trying to talk him out of a career in law enforcement decades ago, Hoffman insisted, he told Easy Reader News, which was first to report on his retirement.

He’s never regretted his decision.

“For 31 years, walking in the same door, I’ve never wanted to work anywhere else,” Hoffman told the newspaper.

Hoffman began serving as the department’s chief in March 2022.

“Chief Hoffman has worked a variety of assignments and details during his long career serving the City of Redondo Beach,” the police department said in 2022. “He truly exemplifies the department’s vision.”

During his tenure as chief, Hoffman said the department has “strengthened operational capacity, enhanced community engagement, and positioned the organization for long-term sustainability.”

Hoffman said he focused on staffing and promotions, hiring 165 department members and promoting 33 others.