California Police Chief- Fall 2013 CPCA_2018_Winter Magazine-FINAL | Page 39

May 20, 2017 Community Event (Seaside Police & Fire Departments)
and although the City’s gesture was commendable, the sec-
ond-hand equipment was inadequate from the start.
Generations of kids grew up playing on the same sub-
par playground equipment for decades. The big metal slide
has seen its share of crying kids falling off all borders of the
uneven slide. Perhaps the most powerful discovery was the
discovery of a formed playground committee that had just
been established by Del Monte Manor residents. The timing
would prove to not be coincidental, but rather; fate.
Policing beyond the badge
Since the event in 2017, Seaside officers attended weekly
meetings, assisted in grant writing, collected donations and
made all the right connections to keep the project thriving.
Earlier this year, the Del Monte Manor raised over $60,000 to
fund the entire playground renovation. The City of Seaside
Public Works Department lent a hand and contracted ser-
vices to have all the old equipment removed at no cost.
The old equipment was completely removed leaving
behind on open sand field. The officers grew impatient
This was a true moment of truth. The police officer
wanted to get involved. He wanted the entire Seaside Po-
lice Department to get behind the residents and help them
acquire a new playground. The residents were hesitant.
The sense of police distrust and tension was dense. It was
not uncommon to have the police at the Del Monte Manor
for anything short of a service call pertaining to a tense or
negative connotation.
The residents knew a new playground was not in the
budget for the property anytime soon. A helping hand
was exactly what they were looking for to proceed. From
that moment on, the group of residents and police officers
would be known as the “Del Monte Manor Coalition.”
The entire Seaside Police Department partnered with
the Seaside Fire Department and organized a fundraising
event at the Del Monte Manor. Although the event only
raised about $1,000, the barriers broken were priceless.
WINTER 2018 | California Police Chief
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