APD Captain Kirvin announces his June retirement date

Photo by Raquel Royers

Retiring - Anderson Police Capt. Robert Kirvin is retiring in June after having served in Anderson for 13 years.

Anderson Police Department’s Capt. Robert Kirvin has announced he will be retiring from the department at the end of June, but will forever be involved in the law enforcement community.

Having served the Anderson community for 13 years, Kirvin has become a familiar face representing the police department. He graduated from Butte College Law Enforcement Academy in 1995, became a Marshal with Shasta County for four years and then began working in Anderson in 1999.

“One day I just woke up and knew it was time,” Kirvin said of his decision to retire at the age of 50.

Kirvin will miss the community and co-workers that he has served side by side with for over a decade but thinks his decision will be the best for him and the city as a whole, he said.

“Honestly, I think the change will allow growth within the department as well as within the city,” Kirvin said.

Kirvin said the reason why he originally chose to work and live in Anderson was because of the community. He also wanted a good place to raise his children that was away from a big city.

“It’s a relaxing town.”

Although Kirvin is retiring from the police force he has hopes of contracting with the local schools to be a school resource officer. This is where his main passion lies, helping children, he said. He spent lots of his time while with the department acting as a resource officer at Oakview High School, a small independent study school in Anderson.

“It’s been the most rewarding experience in my career,” he said. “I put all my heart and soul into it so that people know their kids are safe when they are at school.”

Kirvin credits former Anderson Police Department Chief’s Neil Purcell and Shawn Watts for making the biggest difference in how he served the community.

“They showed me what true service really was,” he said. “I hope that I have been a mentor to others as well.”

Looking back at the time he served Kirvin said he accomplished everything he had set out to. One memorable event that sticks out is when he saved a man’s life with a defibrillator after he had suffered a heart attack.

“If I ever did one thing in all my years of service, I knew I wanted to help save a life, and I did,” he said.

While his everyday routine will be missed, now Kirvin has more opportunities to spend time with his five children and wife of 15 years Lisa, he said. Also, he really enjoys riding his motorcycle and will be doing much more of that.

“I’m going to miss it, that’s for sure,” he said with a smile. “But, this is my time now.”