Assistant Police Chief of El Monte to Retire
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EL MONTE — Assistant Police Chief Bill Ankeny has announced that he will retire in February after more than 31 years on the force.
Ankeny, 54, had aspired to be head of the department and was seen as a probable successor to Chief Wayne Clayton. But because Clayton, who is 66, recently indicated he will not retire soon, Ankeny said he decided he didn’t want to wait him out.
Ankeny said the decision was made long before a controversial shooting by El Monte police in Compton, where officers raiding a home shot an unarmed 65-year-old man in the back, killing him. The incident garnered intense news media attention and prompted investigations by the U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
“I have been looking forward to this pre-Compton, so to speak, for more than a year now,” he said. “Nobody likes controversy and nobody likes looking bad in the media, or the department looking bad. But it’s part of the job.”
Well-respected among other police department heads, Ankeny said he does not plan to seek another job in law enforcement, but probably will move to Las Vegas where his son lives.
Ankeny grew up in the county land that what is now Temple City.
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