Chief retires after 25 years

Outgoing Police Chief Jim Spreine is known for his caring and openness to public. A new chief will be sworn in next week.Sitting behind a stately desk topped with a minimum of necessities and surrounded by bare cream-colored walls in the corner office on the second floor of the Laguna Police station, Chief Jim Spreine looks out of place.

The room, once packed with personal collections of memorabilia, is now empty.

He’s still chief for a few more days, but the reality of his retirement is starting to sink in. Next week, a man who’s spent more than half his life working in law enforcement will swear in a new chief and begin his retirement.

Michael Sellers will succeed Spreine as Laguna’s new chief of police. Sellers has served eight years as the chief of police in Seal Beach.

For Spreine, after 35 years in the business, it’s a bittersweet transition.

When he started his career, Spreine, 58, said he bubbled with pure excitement over becoming a police officer. His goal was simple -- he didn’t want to be chief, just a really good police officer.

“Realistically, when I walked in and did my interview over 35 years ago, all I wanted to do was be a good police officer,” Spreine said.

He said the excitement of working as a law enforcement officer has yet to wear off -- and it likely never will.

“I still feel that way today; I haven’t lost that excitement,” Spreine said.

Spreine grew up in Seattle, and after high school he enlisted in the Marine Corps and went to Vietnam. There, he served in combat and was assigned to a military police unit. After Vietnam, he was stationed as a military police officer at Camp Pendleton.

Spreine found that he was drawn to law enforcement and applied for police jobs in San Diego County; none of his efforts came to fruition.

Finally, in May 1970, Spreine got word that the city of San Clemente was hiring officers; he applied, got the job, and went to work without even having gone to a police academy.

He ended up serving 10 1/2 years with San Clemente as a patrol officer, an undercover narcotics detective and a sergeant.

Working undercover narcotics was a busy but enjoyable job at a time when there were lots of drugs on the street, Spreine said.

“That was a lot of fun. I had shoulder-length hair ... dressed as cool as you can be,” Spreine said.

When Spreine received a flier from the Laguna Beach Police Department advertising a lieutenant position, he applied.

In 1981 he began a nearly 25-year career with the Laguna Police. He worked as a division commander, then was promoted to the rank of captain. He barely worked a year as a captain before he was promoted to deputy police chief under former Chief Neil Purcell. He held that position for 11 years.

“I was very happy as second-in-command of the police department because I had a great boss,” Spreine said. “I loved working with him [Purcell]. We had a great team.”

Spreine hadn’t thought of aiming toward the police chief position until Purcell suggested it. That was eight and a half years ago.

Laguna’s natural disasters, both past and present, stand as proof that Spreine’s time as chief came with its share of challenges. The June 1 landslide was a difficult moment in his career, Spreine said. The fires of 1993 and the deadly mudslides in the canyon also remain as painful memories.

“That was heart-wrenching for me,” Spreine said.

When he first started working with the Laguna Police, the relationship between the community and police department needed some attention. The community didn’t have a lot of respect for the police department.

“There was a lot of distrust and fear,” Spreine said.

Under his and Purcell’s leadership, the department made a decision to let the community become more involved, Spreine said.

“We decided we were going to open ourselves up,” Spreine said.

The openness, with both the local community and media, is something that Spreine will be remembered for, said Capt. Paul Workman, who’s spent a greater part of his career working with Spreine.

“He was always very honest with the public,” Workman said.

Spreine said he’ll miss the job, but the job’s also going to miss him.

“The skill level will be missed,” Workman said. “I will also miss him as a friend.”

Workman described Spreine as a “mature and skilled manager” who dealt professionally and promptly with personnel issues.

“He’s someone that takes care of the problems; he’s a competent manager, a very ethical manager,” Workman said.

Workman, now in charge of the department’s patrol officers, first worked under Spreine as a patrol sergeant. The two got to know each other when they worked side-by-side as division commanders in 1989.

“In this job, I work extremely close with the chief,” Workman said. “You develop a real close working relationship.... It’s a partnership,” Workman said.

Mayor Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider said Spreine’s care for victims of the June landslide is a testament to his love for the community.

“I think he looks at the city and the people who live there as family, and that’s very evident in the way that he reacted to the disaster,” Pearson-Schneider said.

“The thing I like about him the best is that he’s very approachable and he doesn’t intimidate you,” Pearson-Schneider said.

It will be hard to let Spreine go, but she said she’s confident that Chief Sellers will shift smoothly into his new position.

Spreine had only a few wise words for the incoming chief.

“The thing that I’m probably going to impress upon him [Chief Sellers] the most is to love the community as much as I do,” Spreine said.

After Spreine’s last day on the job next week, he and his wife, Linda, plan to hit the road.

They’ll drive north to the small coastal town of Sequim, Wash., where they have a custom-designed 4,000-foot dream home waiting for them.

“Sequim’s about as close to what we could find as a little Laguna,” Spreine said.

They bought the land several years ago and designed the home themselves.

The two-story mission-style home has views of the Straight of Juan de Fuca and Victoria, British Columbia.

The location, close but not too close to family, met the Spreines’ criteria of sunny climate and proximity to the ocean.

“I guess you could say I’m a beach bum,” Spreine said.

The Spreines, married 15 years, look forward to their retirement.

Linda, the former chief of police services in Laguna Niguel, retired in January.

“There’s only one chief in the Spreine house when we’re at home, and it’s not me. I learned that a long time ago,” Spreine said.

They met while Linda was working in patrol.

Together, they have four children from previous marriages and two granddaughters.

“She’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” Spreine said.

This Wednesday, Spreine will swear in Sellers and officially resign his position.

Though he began packing up his office a while ago, the day is finally here. Spreine assured Lagunans that, although he’s moving several states away, his heart’s always going to be here.