Simi Valley Deputy Police Chief David Livingstone has been named acting chief effective immediately, following an abrupt retirement announcement by Mitch McCann. An official retirement date has been set for Dec. 30, but McCann is now on medical leave. Both the medical leave and his decision to retire are a result of problems related to a back injury, he said.
The news came as a shock to the city and its police department, but after discussions with his doctor Chief McCann felt he didn’t have much of a choice.
“Retiring this year was not my perfect timing; however, it was God’s and that is beautiful,” McCann wrote. “It is great to go out on top with crime at all-time lows three years in a row now. It is even more rewarding to go out with a happy community that loves their police department and a happy, well-functioning, state-of-the-art police department.”
McCann was hired in July 2012, following the retirement of Mike Lewis. He had previously spent more than 20 years with the Beverly Hills Police Department. He suffered a back injury two years ago which he's been struggling to manage ever since.
The Ventura County Star and the Simi Valley Acorn have more on McCann’s departure.