Policy Text
Seal Beach Police Department
Seal Beach PD Policy Manual
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2020/01/17, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Seal Beach Police DepartmentCHIEF PHILIP L. GONSHAK -
EXPECTATIONS OF COURAGE AND
ETHICAL BEHAVIOR - 1CHIEF PHILIP L. GONSHAK - EXPECTATIONS OF COURAGE AND ETHICAL BEHAVIOR
Hello Everyone,
If you are reading this policy manual for the first time, welcome to the Seal Beach Police
Department. If you are reading this manual to refresh your memory on a particular policy, I am
proud you have landed here. It is certainly my desire that you are looking here to find an absolute
answer. If your answer isn’t located in this manual, be sure to lean on your peers who I am sure
have been here once before looking for assistance. When all else fails, reach out to your direct
supervisor for their expertise. If they cannot answer it, or if they’re unavailable, be sure to go
with your instinct and make sure to make some sort of a decision. So long as the decision is not
immoral, unethical, and/or illegal, your management team will be hard on the task, but soft on the
heart. Lastly, be sure to remember that making no decision is still a decision.
The Seal Beach Police Department’s Mission Statement
“Drive down crime and improve the quality of life for the residents and visitors of Seal Beach.”
Our police department works diligently to ensure criminal activity is not only handled appropriately
and professionally, but most importantly timely. Responding to an emergency call for service is our
highest priority. With that, remember you were hired based on your: knowledge, self-discipline,
communication skills, ability to delegate , adaptability, duty to serve and protect, motivation al
skills, desire to be fair, search for self-improvement, leadership abilities, your loyal ty, and desire
to have fun.
Knowledge - You are our primary and sometimes (depending on the date/time) only resource.
Keep your supervisor informed of the critical/important items; however, educate them along the
way. None of us know everything.
The primary personal quality of a great employee is knowledge. Knowledge of the technical and
operational skills required for the job. Knowledge of the values, policies, rules and regulations
of the organization and how it works on both a formal and informal basis is necessary
for organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Finally, the job requires a keen insight and
understanding of the human condition.
The knowledge required to be a good employee comes from a variety of sources such as;
experience on the job, observation of other staff, a study of the law enforcement organization
and a review of law enforcement literature. The good leader knows that knowledge and skills
are perishable and need to be constantly renewed, particularly in a profession that is as rapidly
changing such as ours. The great employee is one who is an advocate of training not only for
himself or herself, but for others he/she is able to influence and/or supervise.
All employees, of course, do not need to know everything. It is accurate to say, however, that to be
a coach, a teacher, or a disciplinarian, an individual must be viewed by subordinates as someone
Seal Beach Police Department
Seal Beach PD Policy Manual
CHIEF PHILIP L. GONSHAK - EXPECTATIONS OF COURAGE AND ETHICAL
BEHAVIOR
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2020/01/17, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Seal Beach Police DepartmentCHIEF PHILIP L. GONSHAK -
EXPECTATIONS OF COURAGE AND
ETHICAL BEHAVIOR - 2who knows what he or she is talking about, or who has the ability to find the answers. Knowledge
of the job does not come out of thin air. The acquisition of knowledge requires hard work and
study. Belonging to professional groups, reading professional literature, taking additional college
courses in areas of weakness, becoming familiar with departmental procedures and policies,
and establishing a network of fellow peers and supervisors are just some of the ways that this
professional knowledge can be expanded.
Finally, it is important to realize that job knowledge on the part of any Seal Beach employee will
give him or her self-confidence. This is a fundamental quality of a good leader. Self-confidence
enables an individual to make quality decisions in difficult situations and to make tough calls when
necessary.
Self-Discipline - You are in charge of yourself. I cannot hold your hand everywhere you go. Do
not embarrass yourself; this embarrasses me, which in turn embarrasses the organization, our
City Manager, and the community that supports us.
Good employees understand that to control others they must control themselves emotionally,
physically and intellectually. Wise supervisors understand the influence they have on you. They
understand you will watch and emulate them to a high degree. Some of you even give great
weight to their thoughts on subjects as diverse as sexism and politics. Impressionable younger
employees may even consider their supervisor’s personal habits -- good or not so good -- the norm.
Your character traits in the areas of honesty, hard work, loyalty, duty and fair play become the
standard by which your supervisors, peers, subordinates judge their own actions. It is reasonable
to conclude that the supervisor must set a very high example in the conduct of his/her personal
affairs considering it is, most likely, demanded that the rank and file does the same. It is also
reasonable to expect the leader, as well as other managers, to have the same standards off the
job they must display on the job.
Communication - Keep your