State Cops Install Los Gatos Chief

for a one-year term during the organization's 35th training symposium at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento.

Seaman brings a wealth of professional experience to the position having served for 27 years with the San Jose Police Department and achieving the rank of captain before his appointment as chief of the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department in July of 2002.

Seaman was appointed to the Cal Chiefs’ Board of Directors in 2006 and was elected third vice president in 2010, serving in numerous leadership positions on the board.

“I am honored to lead the California Police Chiefs Association this next year and look forward to working with my colleagues as we tackle the critical funding and legislative issues we face that impact the safety of the citizens of California,” he said.

The association, established in 1966, represents the state's 332 municipal police chiefs who represent 78 percent of California residents.

Seaman was co-creator of the California Women Leaders in Law Enforcement Training Symposium, now in its seventh year, supporting the development of leadership among women and men in law enforcement.

Throughout his career, in addition to a primary focus on keeping his community safe, Seaman has been active in building community and investing in youth through prevention and intervention programs.

His department has received three awards for excellence in community policing including the 2004 League of California Cities Helen Putnam Award, 2004 International Association of Chiefs of Police and 2006 James Q. Wilson Community Policing Awards. In 2009, the department was awarded a California Investigative Excellence Award for its work in a 2008 homicide.

Seaman recently served as chair of the Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Project and its successor Joint Powers Authority, the Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Authority (SVRIA) Working Committee, working to advance radio and data interoperability within public safety in Santa Clara County. Chief Seaman has worked for many years as an expert consultant on police practices and use of force for law enforcement agencies.

Seaman holds a bachelor's degree in criminology from the University of California-Berkeley and a master's degree in management from Cal Poly Pomona. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the California Law Enforcement Command College.

The married father of two adult children takes the helm of the organization during a challenging year for public safety departments and local government as the impacts of realignment of the responsibilities of incarceration, oversight and release of offenders from state to counties is felt.

“The focus of our Association’s efforts will revolve around the state budget crisis and the protection of essential public safety services,” he said.