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# New high school in works?
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/new-high-school-in-works/
- Published: 2007-08-11T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T02:33:28.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Education, Malibu, #archive-import

*Seabrooks to become new Inglewood chief*

SMMUSD HDQTRS In a time when student population is declining, but class sizes remain less than ideal in the secondary schools, a third campus could emerge within the district.

As structural improvements for the school district are mapped out for the next 20 years, administrators are entertaining thoughts of opening a new, smaller high school to accommodate the crowded populations at the secondary schools, particularly Santa Monica High School.

In the 2006-07 school year, more than 3,100 full-time students were enrolled at Samohi, compared to more than 1,200 at Malibu High and Middle schools and the recruiting process, also declined comment on Friday.

It was rumored that Seabrooks, a 27-year-veteran of law enforcement, wanted to succeed Butts, but because the selection process was confidential, Santa Monica city officials could not say if she submitted an application.

Seabrooks, who oversees the Office of Criminal Investigations, has been described as a valuable member of the force who has been instrumental in guiding the SMPD’s response to gang violence.

Under her leadership, the Office of Special Enforcement’s Traffic Section expanded its focus to include grant programs enabling the implementation of various traffic-safety education programs, according to information available on SMPD’s Web site.

Seabrooks was also instrumental in developing and providing training to the men and women of the SMPD in the area of cultural competencies. She provided this training to several police agencies in Louisiana and Massachusetts. As a result of her commitment in this area, the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance gained POST (California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training) certification for its “Tools for Tolerance” program.

Seabrooks has been an active supporter of the Police Activities League’s (PAL) youth programs for many years. She has run the Los Angeles Marathon with the PAL youth five times and bicycled it twice.

In her spare time, when she is not teaching college-level criminal justice coursework, she serves as a volunteer tutor through a literacy program hosted by the Santa Monica Library.

“We’re definitely lucky that Capt. Seabrooks has been a supporter of PAL from the very beginning,” said Patty Loggins-Tazi, director of PAL. “She’s incredibly smart and we’re very fortunate she has been a part of the PAL program. If she is leaving, would surely miss her.”

The Inglewood Police Department has roughly 300 sworn and civilian personnel and has an operating budget of $40 million, which represents more than half of that city’s general fund budget, said Michael Calzada, executive assistant to the city administrator.

Inglewood is a working class city known for being the former home of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings, who played at the Great Western Forum from 1967 to 1999, until both teams moved to the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

As of 2000, the city had a population of 112,580\. The racial makeup of the city is 47 percent African-American, 46 percent Latino and 4 percent white, according to the census. The median income for a household in the city was $34,269.

In recent years, the police department has struggled with allegations of police misconduct, the most publicized case being the arrest of a Donovan Jackson, a 16-year-old whose beating by the police was videotaped. A bystander’s footage showed Jackson, who is black and was handcuffed, as a white officer punched him in the head and slammed him into a patrol car in 2002.

Khalid Shah, executive director of Stop the Violence, Increase the Peace Foundation who worked with city officials and community members to ease tension in the city after the incident, said the city still struggles with gang violence and hopes that the new chief, whomever he or she may be, will reach out to community groups and faith-based organizations to address the needs of residents and not get caught up in politics.

“The chief needs to be a partner with the community,” Shah said. “I believe that is critical in terms of addressing crime and violence and continuing to bridge the gap between community based agencies and law enforcement.

“I think some tremendous progress has been made,” Shah added. “But, as in all things that are difficult, this is a journey and we have got a long way to go. We’ve made friends (with law enforcement) but there are still some areas we need to address.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 11, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/081107.pdf?ref=smdp.com)