St. Patrick’s Day 2011 was quiet in Seal Beach.
“Overwhelmingly, we didn’t see the lines we’ve seen in previous years,” said Sgt. Steve Bowles, public information officer for the Seal Beach Police Department.
Bowles said officers issued 47 traffic citations and made five arrests.
“There didn’t seem to be the crowds we’ve seen in years past,” Bowles said.
He said by 11 p.m., Thursday, March 17, there were no lines outside of the bars on Seal Beach Main Street, home of four Irish drinking and eating establishments.
Bowles said that was “unheard of” for Main Street on St. Patrick’s Day.
Bowles said police suspect the bad economy kept people home.
The SBPD had a strong presence on Main Street last week.
There were 12 motorcycle officers monitoring Pacific Coast Highway through the Sunset Beach area.
The Police Department had officers patrolling on foot from Sixth Street to 12th Street.
At the Monday, March 14 City Council meeting, Police Chief Jeff Kirkpatrick said there would be 20 extra officers working on St. Patrick’s Day. He said the city would not be paying for the extra police presence.
Bowles also said that the cost of the St. Patrick’s Day operation was paid for with grant monies from Orange County.
To make a comment on this story at the Sun Newspapers’ Web site, go to Sunnews.org.
Crime Log Assembled by Charles M. Kelly
The crimes listed in the Sun Newspapers were reported to Seal Beach Police Department, Los Alamitos Police Department and Orange County Sheriff Department between March 7 and March 18, 2011.
Only street names are used; times given are reported times, not incident times.
Crime Log entries are based on preliminary information. Space limitations make it impossible to publish every incident. Until proven guilty in a court of law, all suspects are considered innocent.
IN SEAL BEACH
Monday, March 7
Petty Theft Report—8:30 a.m.—Monterey Road—Someone stole the paperwork for the caller’s property. Report taken.
Dead Rabbit—2:41 p.m.—Blue Heron—The caller reported finding a rabbit’s remains. Referred to Long Beach Animal Care Services.
Counterfeit Money—5:14 p.m.—Seal Beach Boulevard—The caller said he believed he was in possession of a fake $100 bill. Report taken.
Tuesday, March 8
Trash Digging—1:37 p.m.—5th Street—The caller said a woman was digging through the trash cans in the alley way between 4th Street and 5th Street.
Wednesday, March 9
Truant Juveniles—9:20 a.m.—Ironwood Avenue—The caller asked police to go out to the location and convince a child of unspecified ago to go to school. The caller apparently received a call from the child’s mother that the child would not go to school. The caller planned to forward the information to the school truancy court. Police unit 106 contacted and counseled the juvenile.
Thursday, March 10
Twisted Signal—1:49 a.m.—Pacific Coast Highway and 1st Street—The caller said a traffic light had been twisted so that it showed a red and a green light at the same time. The light pole ought to have been facing southbound traffic on Pacific Coast Highway. However, it was facing westbound traffic on 1st Street.
Police unit 207 confirmed the traffic signal pole was twisted. Referred to CalTrans.
Burn and Melt—7:14 a.m.—911 Seal Beach Boulevard (Seal Beach Police Department Headquarters)—Police took a report for the destruction of narcotics and weapons.
Friday, March 11
Vehicle Burglary—7:30 a.m.—Birchwood Avenue—Loss: tools taken from the vehicle sometime between midnight and the time of the call to police. Point of entry: possibly the back door lock, which looked like it might have been tampered with. Report taken.
Dog—7:36 a.m.—Pacific Coast Highway—The caller reported a white great Dane walking in the middle of traffic.
Grand Theft Report—10:19 a.m.—16th Street—Loss: a power snake taken from the open bed of the caller’s truck. The “snake” was valued at $1,200.
Saturday, March 12
Suspicious Person—9:13 a.m.—Dolphin Avenue—The caller reported that a man arrived in a truck, reportedly to install fiberoptic cables. The caller said she was not a customer. The caller tried to reach her landlord, but he wasn’t answering. Police determined the man was indeed there to install fiberoptic cables. The landlord simply forgot to tell the tenant about the work.
Sunday, March 13
Grand Theft Report—3:52 p.m.—Seal Beach Boulevard—Someone stole the rear seats from the caller’s vehicle within the 40 minutes prior to the call to police.
IN LEISURE WORLD
Wednesday, March 9
Counseling—4:45 p.m.—St. Andrews Drive, Mutual Unknown—The caller requested counseling regarding a dispute with a neighbor. Both parties were counseled.
Thursday, March 10
Counseling—11:17 a.m.—Golden Rain Road, Mutual Unknown—The caller requested contact with a police officer about a possible scam. An individual she met online tried to get her to send her money. Counseled.
IN LOS ALAMITOS
Thursday, March 10
Drunk—11:37 p.m.—Los Alamitos Boulevard—The caller said an unspecified number of men who had been trying to start fights with customers were now running across the street. Police contacted the men and advised them to discontinue their behavior. They said they would comply.
Shots Reported—3:29 a.m.—Kings Street—The caller thought he heard shots outside his residence. Police found a newspaper delivery man in the area throwing papers.
Friday, March 11
Vehicle Burglary—9:17 a.m.—Via El Mercado—No loss. Point of entry: a passenger window broken by an unknown suspect.
Suspicious Occupied Vehicle—1:02 p.m.—Kearsarge Avenue—The caller said someone appeared to be sleeping in a black BMW on a neighbor’s property. The caller said that the residents were on vacation for the weekend. The cat was also outside and shouldn’t have been. The back door appeared to be open as well. The interior of the house checked OK. Police were unable to locate the BMW.
Suspicious Occupied Vehicle—4:34 p.m.—Bradbury Road—The caller said an older white Cadillac had been around the block about 10 times. The driver turned out to be visiting his girlfriend. He was driving around because he could not get reception at her residence.
Suspicious Person—9:47 p.m.—Bloomfield Street—The caller reported a possibly homeless man in the area. She described the man as a white male of unknown age wearing a red sweatshirt and tan pants. The caller was scared to walk to her car alone.
Saturday, March 12
Disturbance—8:05 p.m.—Howard Avenue—The caller complained about a party in the back where the garages are. The partiers were advised about the complaint and turned off the music.
Sunday, March 13
Vehicle Burglary—4:02 p.m.—Farquhar Avenue—Someone stole a seat from the caller’s Chevy within the last few days.
Monday, March 14
Vehicle Check—12:54 a.m.—Los Alamitos Boulevard—A 58-year-old man was arrested on outstanding warrants for unspecified charges.
Drunk—2:31 a.m.—Los Alamitos Boulevard—According to the caller, a 23-year-old man was extremely intoxicated.
He was being loud and annoying, attempting to leave, going back and forth to his vehicle and back inside. He was picked up by his parents.
Traffic Stop—3:35 p.m.—Los Alamitos Boulevard at Cerritos Avenue—A 25-year-old man was arrested on outstanding warrants for unspecified charges.
Wednesday, March 16
Traffic Collision—5:49 p.m.—Cherry Street and Katella Avenue—A vehicle struck a dog. The driver was aware of the fact that he hit the dog. The caller pulled up next to driver and told driver that he hit the dog. The driver reportedly laughed and drove off. No crime: dog came off the leash and ran into traffic.
IN ROSSMOOR
Monday, March 14
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—1:08 p.m.—Mainway Drive.
Suspicious Person in Vehicle—2:41 p.m.—Kensington Road and Silverwood Drive.
Tuesday, March 15
Burglary Report—6:49 p.m.—Yellowtail Drive.
Wednesday, March 16
Vandalism Report—8:02 a.m.—Loch Lomond Road.
Thursday, March 17
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—1:33 p.m.—Blume Drive.
Friday, March 18
Welfare Check—7:11 p.m.—Yellowtail Drive.
IN SUNSET BEACH
Monday, March 14
Suspicious Person or Circumstances—11:40 p.m.—24th Street.
Wednesday, March 16
Annoying Phone Call—3:46 p.m.—Pacific Avenue.
Thursday, March 17
Vandalism Report—4:29 p.m.—N. Pacific Avenue and Anderson Street.
Shelley Henderson of the News-Enterprise contributed to this article.
