Those who know her say, admiringly, that she is not as bound by conventional thinking as many of her colleagues are. Therefore, it would not be particularly illogical for her to pursue the Culver City chair.
Wherever she has gone throughout her career, Ms. Seabrooks, who is black, has been regarded as a barrier breaker. At Santa Monica, she was the first woman sergeant, lieutenant and captain.
She was one of three finalists two years ago this month when hometown favorite John Montanio was chosen. In that showdown, Mr. Montanio was the lopsided favorite from the moment that the finalists were chosen.
It is not clear that anyone else was closely considered.
Ms. Seabrooks was not so unique in that field because both of the runnersup were black officers.
Davies’ First Trip to Finals
Around the Police Station this week , there were plenty of cheers for Mr. Davies, a popular twenty-five year veteran of the Culver City department. In baseball parlance, he is regarded as a players’ manager.
As one of the five finalists, Mr. Davies has at least a twenty percent chance of attaining every police officer’s dream goal.
Like Ms. Seabrooks, he also was a candidate the last time when the era of Chief Ted Cooke ended with his reluctant retirement.
Mr. Davies, however, did not qualify for the finals.
The stocky Florida native who comes equipped with a charcoal-colored brushcut and a ready smile, is thrilled to be in the final round.
He told thefrontpageonline.com that he is confident in his abilities and has “a pretty good idea” of the kind of person the City Council is seeking.
Otherwise, the understandably cautious Mr. Davies is keeping his thoughts to himnself.
Even though — or perhaps especially because — Mr. Davies did not make it this far the last time, it will make for fascinating drama when he sits down to interview with the City Council.
As a veteran with the Police Dept., in a small town, the Council members know Mr. Davies pretty well, and he certainly knows them.
Can there be anything left that they have to discern about each other?
The biographical facts are straight forward. The congenial Mr. Davies graduated from Ft. Lauderdale High School in the red, white and blue year of 1976. Four years later, with his degree in sociology from Wake Forest University firmly clutched in his right hand, he took an expedition to Southern California. Culver City has been his professional home ever since.
The Last Roundup
When the City Council pared the semifinal list from fourteen to five on Monday night, Capt. Scott Bixby, Lt. Dean Williams and an unnamed department veteran were eliminated.
On Tuesday, March 28, at 5 p.m., the City Council will reconvene to interview the five candidates and reach a decision that has been a little more than five months in the making.
Last Oct. 20, in his nineteenth month on the job, Chief Montanio, operating in the most secretive environment since Santa Clause’s identity was revealed, abruptly announced his retirement.
Although no one around City Hall expected the thirty-year veteran to remain until he needed a walker to cover ground, this was considerably earlier than expected.
He took retirement at the age of fifty-three to accept a fulltime position related to Homeland Security, in an exotic foreign posting.
Members of the City Council were miffed. And their miffhood steadily mounted until Mr. Montanio, otherwise well received, took his permanent leave as of Dec. 10.
