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Chula Vista Names Dan Peak Acting Police Chief as Roxana Kennedy Extends Medical Leave

The leadership shift follows weeks of dispute over allegations tied to a police union holiday party that city officials have publicly rejected.

Overview

  • Peak, a CVPD veteran since 1999, was appointed acting chief effective immediately to oversee department operations.
  • City officials approved Chief Roxana Kennedy’s extended medical leave, which she says is not administrative leave and does not indicate plans to retire.
  • Kennedy and her attorney allege some city leaders are trying to remove her, including claims of a race-based replacement plan, which the city has denied.
  • Her attorney describes the December 2025 union party incident as a dance-off where an off-duty officer removed his shirt and Kennedy placed $1 bills into his front pockets without other contact.
  • Mayor John McCann and the police union’s board have expressed support for Kennedy, and her attorney sent a preservation letter instructing the city to retain related records.