Have you ever wondered why our beloved city is such an awesome place to live?
Well, part of the reason why Seal Beach is so great is because of the great people behind the scenes working to keep our city safe.
The City of Seal Beach was incorporated on October 25, 1915.
The population then was only 250. As of 2013, the population was estimated at 24,605, almost growing 100 fold, which is fitting since this is the 100th year of Seal Beach’s existence.
In the early years of Seal Beach, there was not much concern about crime.
However, by that November Seal Beach decided that there should be someone or some agency in charge of local law enforcement.
The City of Huntington Beach already had a marshal thus; a deputy marshal was named for Seal Beach on a part-time basis.
A few years later, it became apparent that something more than just a deputy darshal would be needed to control the inflow of people, enticed by sunny beaches and joviality during the summer months in Seal Beach.
In 1927, a local marshal and two deputies were selected to serve in Seal Beach, and they served until the title was changed from marshal to police chief.
Since that time, the police department has grown substantially.
From a small seaside town to a full Police Department, men and women who have served this city graciously by providing quality service to the City of Seal Beach.
Current Police Chief Joe Stilinovich A.K.A “Chief Joe” has given the Seal Beach Police Department a new mission of driving down crime, by focusing on crime trends, crime prevention through environmental design, and continuing to build the department’s already strong partnerships within the city and region. Citizens also worked together at the end of 2014 and through this year to develop the Seal Beach Police Foundation, whose mission it is to provide resources outside the normal scope of the budget process and to support specific areas like community outreach.
Yet in 1965, Chief Snyder said, “Seal Beach is fortunate in having a group of dedicated and untiring people to preserve the peace and enforce the law. In spite of the great social unrest that prevails throughout the world, the goal of the Seal Beach Police Department is to make the community a safe and decent place to live. The greatest hope of a Seal Beach Police officer is that the coming year will be as forward and positive as the one going out. There is every reason to believe that this wish will come true.”
On May 30, the Police Department will open its doors so that its residents can meet and greet the brave men and women of our Police Department. There will be a behind the scenes tour of the facility, detention center, and much much more. For more information, stay tuned to the Centennial Corner and check both the City website and of course the Centennial website at sealbeach100.com.
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