After 42 years of police service, Kennett Township Chief of Police Albert J. McCarthy has announced his retirement.

In an email, Kennett Township said McCarthy, 64, would receive his retirement badge at the supervisors’ public meeting on May 20 at 7:30 p.m.

“It was just time,” McCarthy said. “I always wanted to serve others, and I hope that I’ve done that.”

He declined to say whether the decision was influenced by a car accident last month, the second time in less than four years that he rear-ended another vehicle.

“It was entirely my decision,” he said of his retirement. “The township has been very good to me.”

Lt. Richard H. D’Ambrosio, who heads the Avondale barracks of the Pennsylvania State Police, said McCarthy was not cited for the April 13 crash because McCarthy might have suffered a momentary seizure caused by a previous brain injury.

The Kennett Township supervisors immediately placed McCarthy on non-disciplinary administrative leave while the circumstances of the accident were investigated. D’Ambrosio could not be immediately reached for comment about whether the investigation had been completed.

McCarthy generated headlines on Oct., 12, 2011, when he rear-ended a Jeep on southbound Route 82, south of McFarlan Road, and left the scene. He returned after the other driver called 9-1-1, not realizing that he was responding to a crash he had caused. He later explained that he was being treated for what doctors had determined was a seizure disorder.

After a period of desk duty, McCarthy was cleared to drive by his doctors and the state, and he resumed his normal duties.

Before working for Kennett Township, McCarthy was a longtime officer with Kennett Square, having joined the Kennett Square force as a patrolman in 1973. He became the borough’s chief in 1988.

In March 2001, McCarthy made national news after he left his unloaded gun in a bathroom of an elementary school after being distracted by an electronic page. When a student found the gun and alerted teachers, McCarthy admitted his error and offered to resign, earning widespread praise for his acceptance of responsibility.

McCarthy continued as Kennett Square chief until a contentious parting that culminated with his resignation in September 2007 - and litigation over back pay McCarthy said he was owed. The federal case was dismissed in May 2010 "without cost to either party," according to court records.