Former Police Chief Reflects On 'Fine Work' of Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Department

By Hyuntae Byun

Los Gatos resident and writer Hyuntae Byun had a chance to sit and chat with the Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police Department Chief of Police Scott R. Seaman before he left his post in early August.

Here is the Q & A.

How long have you been on the force and how long have you been chief?

Thirty-nine years, to the day, from when I was sworn in as a police officer for the San Jose police department.

What are some of the proudest moments from your career?

Helping people in crisis in so many varied situations, becoming a police chief in Los Gatos, seeing my vision for community policing realized within the Los Gatos/Monte Sereno PD.

What are some new and upcoming problems or trends that you think the new chief will have to face?

The competition for high quality officers is increasing, so it will be challenging for the department to fill positions as more officer retire. However, this is a very desirable police department to work for, and that will give new Chief Frisby a key opportunity to shape the department to his own leadership vision.

What are the toughest things that you have faced during your career?

Police officers face tragedy and sadness as a regular part of the job and I have seen much of that.

At the same time, I am inspired by the goodness of people and communities, and by the incredible work of police officers and police employees who work unselfishly to keep our communities safe.

What are the best and worst day-to-day things that happen on the job?

Police work is interesting, fulfilling, exciting, constantly varied, enjoyable and challenging. It is a profession that is incredibly unique in society. Having the opportunity to work in that field is a very special privilege.

The hardest parts of the job commonly come from tragedies and conflict which is frequently inherent in many of the situations we deal with.

What aspect of police work do you think that the general public misunderstands?

Few people truly know the actual work of a police officer and how well they serve their residents and how conscientious and caring they are. The television portrayal of police work is unrealistic.

Every day, officers and our professional staff provide levels of service that would amaze and astound residents.

I encourage anyone who wants to understand the work of a police officer to sign up for a ride-along to spend a few hours in the car seeing their community from the officer’s perspective.

Could you please give a few comments about Mr. Frisby, his service and experience, and his strengths and weaknesses?

Matt Frisby has served the Los Gatos/Monte Sereno police department and our communities for over 20 years.

He is a highly talented and committed law enforcement professional who embraces community safety and community strength through partnerships. I have had the privilege of personally helping Chief Frisby develop his experience and have the greatest confidence that he is going to be an outstanding police chief for the community.

Do you have anything that you would like to add?

There are 330 police chiefs in California among approximately 18,000 police officers.

I am exceptionally proud to have been able to serve this community as their police chief, and to have served our profession as President of the state police chiefs association.

In my 39-year career, I have seen so many examples of excellent police work and the Los Gatos and Monte Sereno communities should know that they deserve to be so very proud of their department for the fine work that they do, day in and day out.

Related: Los Gatos Police Captain Tabbed to Become New Chief.

Hyuntae Byun is 16 and a student at Los Gatos High School. He enjoys practicing the violin and writing in his spare time.