McKinnon stepping down as chief, McCrary stepping in
Interim Chief Milton McKinnon. Easy Reader file photo
Milton McKinnon, who has served as acting chief of the Hermosa Beach Police Department for more than a year, will step down at the end of the month, leaving the city with an interim department head as its search for a permanent chief continues.
McKinnon took the interim position after Chief Sharon Papa went on medical leave, and remained after Papa officially retired in October. McKinnon’s departure was announced in a statement from the city, which cited his desire to spend more time with his family.
“The past 15 months have been challenging, as I’ve tried to effectively serve in two positions — as acting chief and as captain. My family has had much less of me during this time, so retiring now will give me more time with them,” the statement read.
McKinnon’s exit comes as Hermosa’s police department is in the midst of a contract dispute with the city, with officers warning that attrition is compromising the officers’ ability to do their jobs. [See related story on previous page.] And it follows speculation from some department watchers that, were McKinnon not to be chosen as Papa’s permanent replacement, he would leave the department. McKinnon declined an interview request for this story.
McKinnon joined the department in 2015, coming on as a captain after spending 24 years with the Culver City Police Department. In an interview with Easy Reader at the time, McKinnon said he was attracted to the prospect of serving under Papa, comparing it to being “like a basketball player working under Kobe Bryant.”
In his tenure as interim chief, McKinnon earned praise from business owners and residents for his openness and willingness to address their concerns. Bill Hallett, a Hermosa resident and former officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, said he was surprised and disappointed to see McKinnon leave. The instances in which he saw McKinnon in action at a crime scene impressed him, as did the interim chief’s interactions with the public.
“He had such an easygoing, friendly personality. Whenever you saw him speak in public, he made people believe. And if there was something he didn’t agree with you about, he’d talk to you with a smile,” Hallet said.
After McKinnon exits on Dec. 29, Michael McCrary will serve as interim chief until a permanent replacement has been found. McCrary, who has more than five decades of law enforcement experience and previously served as interim chief in Hermosa before Papa was hired, said in an interview that small-town police departments force a chief to be “more hands-on and closer to the community.”
McCrary, who has also worked in management consulting and as an assistant city manager, helped Hermosa settle on the hiring of Papa, and said he expected to be involved “at some level” in the selection of the new, permanent chief, but was not sure of the extent. He is aware of the challenges facing the department but declined to weigh in, other than saying he was “looking forward to the challenge” of leading Hermosa’s short-staffed department.
He said he has experience coming into departments with recruitment problems, including a stint as interim chief in the city of La Palma in 2016, but said that the key is listening to the people who are already there.
“I really rely on the city staff and the police department’s officers. It’s like I’m standing outside looking through a window inside. It’s almost like I’m a guest there. I like to work closely with the staff, meet with them. I’ll make an assessment, and I’ll spend a lot of time doing it,” he said.