Hi Seal Beach,
Before we get to this week’s question, I want to take a moment to reflect on the Briefing Room. I’ve been writing this weekly column for nearly a year and a half. During that time I’ve answered several dozen questions about traffic, parking, homelessness, local laws, and so much more. I’ve tried my best to provide relevant information about Police Department updates, crime prevention tips, and safety messages. I’ve explained procedures, offered advice, and hopefully helped strengthen the relationship between the community and the PD.
One of the ways that I’ve tried to strengthen that relationship is by bringing the community, as much as possible via this article, into our doors so you can read about what we do every day and who we are. That is why we named it the Briefing Room. Writing this column has been one of the greatest joys in my career, and being able to tell the Seal Beach community about who we are as individuals makes me even more proud to work for this wonderful community. Over the last 18 months there have been a few articles which featured individual members of our agency. We’ve shared our newest hires, introduced Records Bureau personnel, and shared with you some personal details about other key members of our organization. I really think doing this is a great way to humanize the PD and to let the community know that there is a person behind each badge.
Well, it seems as though reader Stephanie agrees with me. Earlier this week I received the following email:
Is Officer Montgomery single? LOL–
Stephanie L.
Now I’m not sure if Mr. Kelly has the ability to print emojis, but what followed Stephanie’s question was three emojis which depict two tall mugs of beers clinking together in a festive cheers. What’s more remarkable is that Stephanie sent me this email on a Thursday morning, just after 9 a.m.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not being judgmental. For several years I worked the graveyard shift and would sometimes have a beer with “dinner” (my breakfast) at 8 a.m. Perhaps Stephanie worked all night, or maybe she’s inviting Officer Montgomery out for drinks. Did Officer Montgomery write her a ticket? Did she see the Instagram post of him riding the comically small bicycle which caught her eye? We may never know.
Stephanie, I want you to know that I take all questions I receive for this column seriously, and your question is no different. So I shared your question with Officer Montgomery. He was undoubtedly flattered.
If you want to know about Officer Montgomery’s training, his experience at the agency he worked for before Seal Beach, how many times he dropped his motorcycle during the motor academy, what his college degree is in, or his custom burrito order at Nick’s Deli, he’d be more than happy to share. However, as far as his relationship status, that’s a bit too personal for this column.
Lastly, and as a brief aside, we know that Chief Phil Gonshak is married to a Stephanie. I can assure you this question came from Stephanie L. not Stephanie G.
If you’d like to know more about the members of the SBPD, I’ll feature more individual employees and tell you all about what they do to help keep Seal Beach safe.
In the meantime, please keep your questions coming. Email askacop@sealbeachca.gov today!
Nick Nicholas is Operations Bureau lieutenant for the Seal Beach Police Department.
