Redondo Beach Police Chief Finally Ready To Walk Out Station's Doors After 31 Years

REDONDO BEACH, CA — Joe Hoffman, 51, has only ever completed one job application.

In 1994, 20-year-old Hoffman applied for the position of police cadet with the Redondo Beach Police Department.

As he waited on the application process, Hoffman said he volunteered at the station on Diamond Street. He still remembers stepping through the doors.

“When I walked in here, I felt the camaraderie of a smaller department, and it's more than just coworkers,” Hoffman said. “And, it might sound a little corny, but when I walked in 31 years ago, I felt like this is where I belong.”

And, sure enough, he’s never left.

Over the past three decades, Hoffman climbed the ranks, mostly recently serving as the department’s police chief.

But now, Hoffman is finally ready to walk out the station’s door, with his last day before retirement being Dec. 26.

“I think that there's a very fine line between leaving too early and staying too long, and I think that the best time to leave something is when you feel you're not quite ready to leave,” Hoffman said. “I think that the timing is good for me to step out.”

Lt. Wayne Windman, who’s known Hoffman his entire career, said that though he will be missed, “He’s done his job.”

“He’s really pushed the department forward,” Windman said. “He’s had so much experience working all the facets of the organization, which other chiefs have not … It was very easy for him to bring the department together because he knew the parts and pieces.”

‘Always stood out as a leader’

After Hoffman grew up watching his father work as a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, he too dreamt of a career in law enforcement.

“He encouraged me that, although LAPD is a great department, to look at one of these beach cities because the beach cities are such nice communities,” Hoffman said.

So, after being hired as a cadet with the department in 1994, Hoffman took the test to become a police officer and attended the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Academy, graduating in May 1995, he said.

“Then, I started my journey here at Redondo Beach PD as a sworn police officer, and I worked in the patrol division for a while, spent some time down on the pier,” Hoffman said.

That's when he met Windman, who was one of his supervisors.

“I've seen him grow up,” Windman said. “Joe's always stood out as a leader from the beginning.”

It was also during his time working the pier that Hoffman met his wife of almost 25 years.

“Kristen was working at the Cheesecake Factory on Harbor Drive in the bakery, and I was there with my partner,” Hoffman said. “Somebody had called 911 on a pay phone, for those who remember what a pay phone is.”

Hoffman’s face lit up as he described the encounter.

“And I went in, and I had seen her before because she had a friend who worked at the police department, and I started talking to her. And well, that was about 28 years ago,” he said.

While he worked the pier unit, Hoffman also became a firearms instructor and was appointed to the SWAT team.

After that, Hoffman said he worked as a motorcycle officer with the traffic unit for about two and a half years, then was promoted to sergeant in 2003, where he worked in patrol and investigations.

Again, he was promoted in 2006, this time to lieutenant, Hoffman said.

“I worked pretty much all of our different divisions, patrol, investigations, special projects,” Hoffman said.

He worked as a lieutenant for about 10 years until he was promoted to captain in 2017, he said.

After a short stint as assistant chief, Hoffman said he was appointed as chief of police in March 2022.

‘Really took a little bit different approach’

During his nearly four years as police chief, Hoffman said the department has hired 167 people, which includes 60 police officers.

“And not all 60 are still with the organization … but just hiring 167 employees is a significant amount in a four-year period,” Hoffman said.

The department has also promoted 33 individuals, which Hoffman said “has significantly shaped the supervisory and management structure for the department for years to come.”

“We also developed a wellness program,” Hoffman said.

The program includes a variety of components, such as performance coaching, team-building events, department meetings, exercise classes and jiu-jitsu.

“The idea is there's something for everybody that's going to enhance their wellness and keep them more connected with the organization,” Hoffman said.

In his time as chief, the city has also seen a reduction in crime, according to Hoffman.

“And I think that's a direct reflection on a lot of things going on in society, but also the dedication of the police department and every single member here who is performing their job in an exceptional manner,” Hoffman said.

But, for Hoffman, his biggest accomplishment as police chief has been helping uplift the department.

“And I can't take credit and say that I created a better culture; I made a more positive culture,” Hoffman said. “Collectively, we've been able to make a positive improvement on the culture of the organization, which sets us on a better path forward for success.”

It’s something that hasn’t gone unnoticed in the department.

In Windman’s 45-year career with the department, he has worked under 11 different chiefs.

“Chief Hoffman really took a little bit different approach to management,” he said. “Along with really looking at the station and revitalizing the station, he really spent a lot of time training, educating and nurturing the culture of the organization.”

‘You have to step out of your comfort zone’

The key to Hoffman’s success, he said, was to keep learning.

“I'm a firm believer that in order to achieve success in this profession, you have to step out of your comfort zone and take challenges, and take risks, and expose yourself because it allows you to continue learning,” Hoffman said. “And if you stop learning, you impede your progress.”

His success, though, was also very much rooted in his wife’s support, he said.

“It's a stressful career, not only with the risk of injury, but also with the hours and having to work weekends and holidays and late-night phone calls and interrupted vacations and just the stress, you know,” Hoffman said.

All of which, he said, can take a toll.

“She's had to live with it for 28 years and, quite frankly, without her support, I think that it would have been very difficult for me to have the successes that I had,” Hoffman said.

While the doors may be closing on Hoffman’s law enforcement career, he said he hopes others may open.

“I'm only 51 years old,” Hoffman said. “I'd like to find something else to do where I can still utilize my knowledge that I've built over the last 31 and a half years here in law enforcement.”

So soon, Hoffman said, he may complete his second job application in 31 years.

“Yeah,” he said. “That’s the plan.”