City honors retired Chief Kauffman
Former Redondo Beach police chief and interim fire chief Keith Kauffman was saluted Tuesday night by the city as he officially retires from his year-and-a-half post with the fire department.
He retired as police chief in February after seven years, then led an assessment of the fire department. Those recommendations are now being further implemented by Patrick Butler, new interim fire chief.
Kauffman is co-founder of National Coffee With a Cop, and was known for other innovations such as a skateboarding contest and a surfing contest sponsored by the Redondo Beach Police Department.
“He did something truly transformational in our department, truly innovative,” said City Manager Mike Witzansky, presenting the now-longer-haired Kauffman with a plaque before Tuesday’s city council meeting. “It allowed us to ingratiate ourselves with a portion of the Redondo Beach Community we hadn’t touched before. (He’s) built a wonderful foundation for our future.”
Kauffman thanked city management, family and the community for its support.
“I have a lot of stuff to do now. Most of it is fun,” he said. ER
