Manhattan Beach Detective Reflects On Law Enforcement Career

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Working for the City of Manhattan Beach as a police officer has been a good thing for MBPD Detective Mike Rosenberger, who officially retires this Friday, Oct. 9 just 2 months and one day shy of 30 years of service. It's where he met his wife and it's a job that's put him in touch with countless people over the years.

Just two or three years on the force, he "was lucky enough to meet a co-worker who asked to go on a ride along one night. She would end up being my wife Barbara who is still working in the records bureau today," he told Manhattan Beach Patch.

Rosenberger, who has worked as a field training officer, drug recognition expert, SWAT officer/sniper, robot operator, on the DUI enforcement team, Internet Crimes Against Children task force, beach patrol, and fraud investigator, said, "Working investigations as a detective has definitely been my favorite position and something I’ll always look back on positively." He has spent most of his time as the Crimes Against Persons detective investigating things like robbery, domestic violence, sexual assault and suspicious deaths. "I have a soft spot for cold cases, too," he told Manhattan Beach Patch.

One of his most important cases involved Nancy Paulikas, a Manhattan Beach resident diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's who was last seen on Oct. 15, 2016 when she and her husband were at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Wilshire Boulevard in West Los Angeles. An exhaustive months-long search ensued before her skull was found in a park off Mulholland Drive and Beverly Glen Boulevard on March 11, 2017. Then bones were discovered in September 2018.

Rosenberger spent a lot of time on the Paulikas missing persons case, which was "really involved" and spanned several law enforcement agencies. "It was a great collaboration with her family and friends and the police, and even though it had a tragic ending, it was a really interesting case," he noted. "As a result of it, missing persons cases involving elderly or Alzheimer’s patients will likely have more positive outcomes."

Rosenberger was a Military Police Officer and a Military Police Investigator in Germany when he was in the U.S. Army before arriving in Manhattan Beach. He originally applied to the Torrance and Hawthorne police departments and Los Angeles Sheriffs Department but was hired by the Manhattan Beach Police Department first.

Reflecting on his time in Manhattan Beach, Rosenberger said, "Without a doubt, it’s the people that really matter. My coworkers and fellow city employees are a generally positive and outgoing lot. The residents of the city have always been there for us and other agencies shake their heads when they hear about some of the great things our residents do to support us. Also working with other agencies and our federal partners has been rewarding.

"Unlike some of the stereotypes you hear about, I’ve had so many positive experiences with our friends at the FBI on cases from bank robberies to school threats to computer intrusions I will really miss working with them," he noted.

In addition to meeting his wife, the job has given him "some great stories and experiences and... a sense of purpose! Also the ability to keep cool, hopefully, under stress."

As for what he'll do in retirement? "I might take a nap for a month!" he laughed. "I really look forward to deploying more with Team Rubicon a volunteer disaster response group that is veteran focused. We do things like fire mitigation in Idyllwild, taking out dangerous trees and brush and things like responding to Louisiana to help with the post Hurricane Laura recovery efforts. I was happy to trade my badge and gun for a chainsaw and shovel!"