Seal Beach PD Launches Community Oriented Policing Team

SEAL BEACH, CA -- The Seal Beach Police Department has officially launched a newly-created Community Oriented Policing (COP) Team that's designed to proactively address quality of life issues which impact residents, businesses, and visitors of Seal Beach.

The two officer team, consisting of SBPD officers Bruno Balderrama and Victor Ruiz, was first deployed in May and patrol primarily on foot and with bicycles.

Balderrama and Ruiz are both lateral police officers who came to Seal Beach from other Southern California agencies, bringing with them knowledge as it relates the philosophy of community oriented policing.

Due to the influx of visitors to Seal Beach during the summer months, the COP team has been assigned primarily to the Main Street and beachfront areas, and are tasked with working with merchants and business owners to ensure the safety and security of those in the downtown area.

In addition to those duties, the COP team could be called upon to respond to emergency calls for service, address specific quality of life issues, investigate crime trends, hold community meetings and conduct directed enforcement in other areas and neighborhoods.

The team is funded by measure BB, a voter-approved sales tax that was passed in November 2018. It provides $5 million in annual funding for the program for three years.