Council To Vote on Next Police Chief

Former Long Beach Police Chief Robert M. Luman could soon take the helm of the Seal Beach Police Department.

The City Council is poised to appoint Luman as interim chief to fill the void left by Chief Jeff Kirkpatrick, who retired this month. The council will vote on an agreement to pay Luman $4,000 a week up to $96,000 plus a cell phone allowance. If approved, the contract would go into effect July 1. The council would continue to look for a permanent replacement for Kirkpatrick.

Luman is no stranger to temporary leadership positions. According to the Long Beach Police Foundation, Luman served as the interim chief for the Newport Beach Police Department for the last year. Prior to that, he was Redondo Beach’s police chief, and before that, he was interim chief for the city of Riverside. He served as Long Beach’s Police Chief from 1996-1999. He began his career as a Long Beach police officer in 1968.