Seal Beach Police Chief to Step Down

Seal Beach Police Chief Jeff Kirkpatrick will retire in June, he said Monday night.

“It’s time,” he said, following Monday’s Seal Beach City Council meeting. “I have had a good run here, and now it’s time.”

Kirkpatrick was appointed to run Seal Beach’s Police Department in 2005, making him the city’s 13^th chief since 1915. He has twice won the Medal of Valor. He is also known for having established a management accountability structure for small departments such as the Seal Beach Police Department that has been emulated by La Palma, Laguna Beach and Marple Township, Pa.

According to the city’s biography for Kirkpatrick, he has served as a field training officer, rangemaster, weaponless tactics instructor, major accident investigator, and S.W.A.T. counter-sniper, department training manager, S.W.A.T. Team leader, detective bureau supervisor, reserve officer corps program coordinator, and patrol watch commander.

Kirkpatrick coordinated the city’s anti-terrorism efforts and serves on the California Emergency and Homeland Security Operations Training Center, Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base Executive Board. He is also an adviser to the Fullerton College Criminal Justice and Golden West College Criminal Justice programs.

Kirkpatrick is also very active in the communities of Seal Beach and Los Alamitos, serving on boards for everything from the Los Alamitos Medical Center to the Casa Youth Shelter.

He holds several degrees such as a bachelor of science in Organizational Behavior and a master of arts in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. He also graduated from the FBI's National Academy and the FBI's Law Enforcement Executive Development program.

Kirkpatrick said he plans to issue a statement on his June 12 retirement later this week.

Married for 34 years to his wife Carolyn, Kirkpatrick said he is looking forward to spending time with family–one 2-year-old in particular.

“I am looking forward to spending time with my granddaughter,” he said.