Hi Sun Readers!
A question that we are frequently asked is about all of the gear that patrol officers carry each day. The tools we keep on our vests and belts and in our pockets help us do our job, keep us safe, and more important, help us protect Seal Beach.
Our officers wear a dark blue uniform that has two shoulder patches that identify us as Seal Beach officers. We also wear a badge over our hearts, a metal nametag or fabric nametape, and rank insignia for the various ranks we hold. A very critical part of our uniform is our ballistic vest. Some officers choose to wear a traditional vest under their uniform shirt, while others opt for the load-bearing external vest. This is a matter of preference for our officers and both are acceptable. The load-bearing vests helps to keep the weight off of our belts and has been proven to help reduce back injuries later in life.
Our duty belts are where we keep most of our gear. Of course, we have our duty weapons. Most officers carry a Glock handgun with extra magazines and ammunition. We have two sets of handcuffs, a quality flashlight, Oleoresin capsicum also known as “pepper spray,” a collapsible baton, a Taser, our dispatch radio, and a pocketknife. Aside from these items, we also have stickers and baseball cards for kids, along with business cards, pens, our phones, and various other personal belongings. It is estimated that the belt/vest/gear combination weights about 20-30 pounds. Also critically important is good quality boots. We are on our feet a lot, and good boots are critical to helping to prevent fatigue and injury, especially when running.
Our patrol cars are our offices. In our vehicles we have our laptop computers, radios, report forms, first aid kit, Narcan kit (to help treat those experiencing an opioid overdose), flares, traffic cones, a less-lethal beanbag shotgun, electronic ticket writers, reference books, and all kinds of other necessary equipment.
This is just a brief overview of the items we have on us or easily accessible at all times. We invite you (post-pandemic of course) to come by the station with your children and we’ll show them our cars and gear. Kids really get a kick out of seeing the police car and it helps us build relationships with our young community members.
Seal Beach, keep your questions coming! Please email me at askacop@sealbeachca.gov today!
