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Tag: Seal Beach Police

  • January 13th in Seal Beach History

    On this date in 1936, Seal Beach Police raided the Walker Cafe where a gambling den had been set up in a back room. Robert Sandon of the district attorney’s office gained access to the back room posing as a gambler and left a door unlatched for Police Chief Lee Howard and Officer Ervin Glenn.

    Fred C. Smith of 19 Neptune Place, J. W. Sneed, 1231 E. Broadway, Long Beach, various dealers, five alleged players, Hayes Pierpont, W. G. Scruggs, W. B. Scruggs, Vari Janes, and C. E. Nolan, who gave their address as the Seal Hotel, were rounded up. A crap table, dice, chips, and cards were also seized.

    Bail was set at $250 for the dealers and $100 for the players. All posted property bonds for their release, aided by Mrs. Mildred Blankenship, owner of the Seal Hotel.

    – Michael Dobkins

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  • January 3rd In Seal Beach History

    On this date in 1945, The Long Beach Independent reports that a thirteen-year old Surfside resident, Rodney Middleworth, fell off the old 101 Highway bridge into the water. When Seal Beach Fire Chief Sperry Knighton and Seal Beach police officers arrived with lifesaving equipment, they discovered that he had already been rescued by Lester Buchalz of Santa Paula and an unidentified fourteen-year old boy who had already left the scene. The two had heard Rodney’s cries for help and saved him.

    – Michael Dobkins

    Have you enjoyed this and other This Date in Seal Beach History posts?

    If so, please consider making a small donation of a dollar or more to help defray the online subscriptions and other research costs that make this blog possible.

    Donations can be made securely with most major credit cards directly through PayPal. Just click on paypal.me/MichaelDobkins to go to PayPal. Thank you.

    This Date in Seal Beach History also has an online store hosted at Cafepress where you can order shirts, tote bags, stationery, and other gift items imprinted with vintage Seal Beach images. Visit the online store by clicking here.

     

  • Stan Berry at The Red Car Museum – 8/25/2012

    Some of our most popular posts have featured historical photographs of Seal Beach police officers. These have come to us through the generosity of Stan Berry, a local expert on the Seal Beach Police Department and The Seal Beach Fire Department.  The photo below was too good not to share.  It show Stan at the 41st anniversary celebration of The Seal Beach Historical & Cultural Society’s Red Car Museum.

    20120825 Stan Berry

    The Red Car Museum is open the second and fourth saturday of every month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m..  One of Seal Beach’s landmarks, the museum is housed in Pacific Electric Car #1734, a tower car that once served as a portable machine shop that performed repairs on Pacific Electric streetcar lines for decades until it was retired in 1950.  Today, the museum features exhibits of Seal Beach and Pacific Electric history and gift shop of local history merchandise.   You can find the Red Car Museum on Electric Avenue between Main Street and the library on the greenbelt that was once the Pacific Electric right of way through Seal Beach.

  • Scofflaws Beware

    Seal Beach Images

    Seal Beach Police Department  1950-1954

    It’s been far too long since we’ve posted anything from local historian Stan Berry.  One of Stan’s specialties is researching and preserving Seal Beach Police Department heritage, including these four group shots of the department assembled outside the old police station on Central Avenue.

    1950-52 – Back row (left to right): Special Officer Fred Lochamy, Officer Gayler, Night Desk Sergeant Charles Irvine, Sergeant Paul Curtis
    Front Row (left to right): Chief Lee Howard, Captain James Marousek, Officer Ray Harbour, Matron Grace Irvine, Officer Harold Walker
     
    1950 – (left to right): Ray Harbour, Chief Lee Howard, H. Van Zandt, Fred Lochamy, Sergeant Paul Curtis
     
    1953 – Back row (left to right): Fred Lochamy, William Dowdy, Charles Irvine, Ray Harbour, Farris Van Zandt, George Marshall, Grace Irvine (clerk)
    Front Row (left to right): Chief Lee Howard, Captain Marousek, Sergeant Paul Curtis, John Demarest, Officers William Holeman and Harold Walker not in picture
     
    1954 – Back row (left to right): Chief Lee Howard, Captain James Marousek, Officer Ray Harbour, Harold Walker, William Holeman, Thomas Terry, George Marshall
    Front Row (left to right): Sergeant Paul Curtis, John Demarest, Grace Irvine (clerk & matron), William Dowdy, Fred Lochamy.   Farris Van Zandt (on vacation and not in picture).

     

     

    Stan writes, “As a result of my research it is believed that Captain James Marousek and Chief Lee Howard had been with the department longer than any of the others depicted in these four photographs.  Captain Marousek started with the department in 1928 or 1929 and retired in 1958.  Chief Howard started with the department in 1932 and retired in 1959.”

    As always, Stan, thank you for your hard work and generosity.

    – Michael Dobkins

    Have you enjoyed this and other This Date in Seal Beach History posts?

    If so, please consider making a small donation of a dollar or more to help defray the online subscriptions and other research costs that make this blog possible.

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  • Our Boys in Blue

    Images of The Week

    Seal Beach Junior Police – 1929

    Fellow Seal Beach history buff Stan Berry e-mailed us a couple of weeks ago to graciously offer to share some of his collection of photographs and memorabilia from Seal Beach Police Department and Fire Department history.  The two photos in today’s post is the first of what we hope will be many contributions from Stan. 

    This is a 1929 group photo of the Seal Beach Police Department under the command of Chief A. G. Johnson. One of the programs that Chief Johnson was instrumental with was the organization of a juvenile police force of six (6) members.   These boys were chosen from their school because of the record  they held for trustworthiness, faithfulness to duty and the ability to work successfully with their schoolmates.  The duties of the juvenile police  were to protect little children at all times and to see that vacant property was not vandalized.  The boys met with the Chief each Saturday to discuss any problems.

     The second photo is of one of the miniature police badges that the boys were presented when being sworn in by Chief Johnson.  This particular  badge is currently displayed at the Red Car Museum.

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    Thanks, Stan.

    We’ll share more historical pictures and photos of Seal Beach as the year progresses.   Be sure to check back each Monday for a new Seal Beach image.

    Have you enjoyed this and other This Date in Seal Beach History posts?

    If so, please consider making a small donation of a dollar or more to help defray the online subscriptions and other research costs that make this blog possible.

    Donations can be made securely with most major credit cards directly through PayPal. Just click on paypal.me/MichaelDobkins to go to PayPal. Thank you.