Seaside Police Chief Abdul Pridgen is leaving for a job as chief in San Leandro.

After three years as Seaside's police chief, Abdul Pridgen is leaving for the larger city of San Leandro to serve as their chief, starting on Sept. 13. 

That Pridgen is leaving for another job is hardly shocking; as early as last fall he was searching, and in November made the cut as a finalist for the chief position in Oakland. 

But his departure now comes amid a wave of departures among Seaside city leadership. City Manager Craig Malin is also resigning, and his last day is Aug. 31. Assistant City Manager Lesley Milton-Rerig resigned in March. Pridgen's last day in Seaside will be Aug. 13.

Pridgen's short time in Seaside coincided with a shakeup in policing accountability and heightened scrutiny of police use-of-force policies, amid the increasing presence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis.

Pridgen was among 2,000 or so Black Lives Matter protesters in Seaside last June, echoing a message that for him has remained steady since beginning his time as chief—that the profession of policing needs to change. “And there’s no better time now because the level of pressure is building,” he told the Weekly last summer. “People want to see demonstrable change in the way people of color are treated. We are the ones in positions to do the most harm.”

It's a message Pridgen echoed in a statement issued July 6 by the city of San Leandro announcing he'd been hired. 

"It is an honor to be gifted the chance to serve the dedicated men and women of the San Leandro Police Department and the rich, diverse group of San Leandrans," Pridgen said. "Our profession faces many challenges, but we have a tremendous opportunity to set an example for progressive, procedurally just, transparent, accountable, and community-focused policing. I look forward to working closely with all of our internal and external stakeholders to make the San Leandro Police Department a pioneering model of contemporary policing for others to emulate.”

Also during his time leading Seaside PD, Pridgen took on a new approach to recruiting officers, incorporating behavioral science and technology to reach more diverse prospective applicants. 

(Pridgen was not immediately reachable for a phone interview on Wednesday, July 7.)

Before coming to Seaside, Pridgen served in the police department for the city of Fort Worth, Texas, for 26 years, eventually rising to the rank of assistant chief. He is also currently the president of the California Police Chiefs Association.