Jerry Person -- A Look Back

The 1960s’s was a decade that nearly split our country apart.

The Vietnam War was waging, college students were protesting at home

and the Watts riots took place in our very backyard.

Strife was also felt here in Huntington Beach.

Troublemakers came down from the north and roamed our beaches and

pier, turning them into a lawless no man’s land. If not for the courage

and determination of one man, these hoodlums would have taken over our

City Hall and beautiful beaches.

In the spring of 1965, the country was reeling from war demonstrations

in many of our cities across the nation. Here in Huntington Beach, one

man saw the handwriting on the wall, this man was our chief of police,

John H. Seltzer.

In May of 1965, Seltzer handpicked 15 of our best police officers to

train for riot duty. These men trained under the best instructors the Los

Angeles Sheriff had. This training paid off, for trouble came here on

July 5, 1965.

A free-for-all broke out on Main Street with nearly 100 youths who

gathered and staged a wild demonstration in the first block. But because

of the riot training, one of Seltzer’s officers stood fast, causing the

youths to disband and prevented trouble and loss of life.

These elite officers became known as “Seltzer’s Sandmen” and included

Officers John Berens, Bill Bruce, Jerry Crusinberry, Chuck Hollingsworth,

Monty McKennon, Roger Maltby, Ed Pratt and Gil Veine.

It was on a hot Aug. 4 afternoon that the training these men received

would be put to the test. The beach lifeguards attempted to stop a few

rowdy teens from bothering beachgoers. They had to have two of these

youths arrested. Several youths then whipped up the angry crowd into a

full-fledged rioting mob of some 200 people. This mob marched to the city

jail on Fifth Street. They were seeking the release of their comrades.

Meanwhile, at the police station, there were only six uniformed officers

on duty, three trained “Seltzer’s Sandmen” and a handful of office

supervisors.

These men confronted the mob on the very steps of City Hall and

through their training, remained calm and arrested nine of the

ringleaders. With the head of the mob gone, the group quickly dispersed.

Later, Seltzer asked for and received from the city, new riot helmets,

a camera for taking evidence and two-way radios for his men. Chief

Seltzer worked seven days a week after the riot and ordered his sergeants

to do the same. By late summer, “Seltzer’s Sandmen” had brought the beach

under control and made it safe for visitors.

*JERRY PERSON is a local historian and longtime Huntington Beach

resident. If you have ideas for future columns, write him at P.O. Box

7182, Huntington Beach, CA 92615.