A Milestone To Remember: Seal Beach Police Recreate Sweet Photo With Graduating Students

SEAL BEACH, CA — For the Seal Beach Police Department, doing the job right means a lot more than plain policing.

SBPD McGaugh Elementary School Liaison Officers took part in a special moment when they were approached by parents of graduating 5th graders and asked to help recreate a photo shot six years ago.

According to SBPD Lt. Julia Clasby, Officers Victor Ruiz and Bruno Balderrama began serving as liaisons to McGaugh Elementary School in 2019, with the passage of Measure BB.

The pair shot a photo that same year, which shows the two officers standing proud alongside a preschool class from the McGaugh campus of the Los Alamitos Unified School District's Child Development Center to celebrate the children's next big step: becoming McGaugh Sea Lions.

Today, that same preschool class of yesteryear is now a group of fifth graders preparing to graduate from McGaugh Elementary School.

As part of their graduation activities, parents of the students reached out with a request: could the two officers help to recreate the photo shot six years ago?

"What the students may not have realized was that Ruiz and Balderrama not only remembered taking the original picture, but immediately jumped at the opportunity to stand beside the students once again," Clasby said.

"These interactions help foster familiarity and trust between law enforcement and the community, particularly among young people growing up in Seal Beach," Clasby told Patch. "Seeing officers return years later to celebrate an important milestone demonstrates that community policing is not simply a program or assignment, but a long-term investment in people and relationships."

Clasby said that the SBPD prioritizes building these longstanding connections with the community by participating in school events, community programs, neighborhood outreach and more.

"In a city like Seal Beach, these personal connections are an important part of maintaining the strong sense of community that residents value," Clasby said.