The Morgan Hill Police Department has lost one of its finest, as
Sgt. Mark Brazeal leaves for the Roseville Police Department.
Morgan Hill – The Morgan Hill Police Department has lost one of its finest, as Sgt. Mark Brazeal leaves for the Roseville Police Department.
“He’s a good guy, and I wish him well,” Morgan Hill Police Chief Bruce Cumming said. “He’s been a very positive force here at the police department. He’s been involved in the community, knows a lot of people here.”
With nearly 11 years in the MHPD, Brazeal said the decision to leave was not an easy one.
“These are some of the best people I’ve ever known,” Brazeal said of his fellow MHPD officers. “They’re the reason I’ve stayed with the department. Working with your friends, putting bad people in jail, what more could you ask for?”
But he’s leaving because the timing is right for him and his family. He and his wife, Annie, have two young children who are not yet old enough for school.
“The timing is just right now,” he said. “This is a good time for us to make the move.”
Brazeal, 35, wants more time on patrol, he said, and less administrative time behind the desk.
“When I get to 30 years (as an officer), I want to look back at a variety of things I’ve done,” he said. “I guess I really miss the field work, the interaction with people. Maybe I was promoted too early in my career. But this is such a great department to work for. I think I’ve been very fortunate to have the time I’ve had here.”
One of the “perks” Brazeal found working for MHPD was that he met his wife there, he said. Annie worked in the records department.
“I actually first saw her in December of 1996, when she was with her former boyfriend, when she was getting her five year service award,” he said.
While he will miss the officers he works with, Brazeal added, he said he wont’ miss the hours. He said he believes the department needs to be concerned about officer burnout.
“People stay staffing ratios are arbitrary, but you look at when you have four days of 12-hour shifts, with four days off, then three days of 12-hour shifts with three days off, that’s fine, except when you’re called in to work one or two or even three days of that time off, and you’re not getting time to recharge your batteries,” he said. “The department could easily absorb 10 more officers.”
Cumming said Brazeal’s work has helped to shape the department and influenced other officers.
“His real love has been traffic enforcement and traffic investigation,” he said. Over the years, he’s been very instrumental in working out a lot of programs for the department. He’s been very involved with the ‘Avoid the 13’ drunk driving enforcement, he’s done a remarkable job with that. And he’s a role model for our officers, particularly the new ones coming in.”
Brazeal has a bachelor’s degree in history from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. He then studied at the police academy in Pittsburg, CA, before he was hired by MHPD.
He worked in traffic safety from 1998 to 2000 and has been a part of the SWAT team since 2000.
Before starting the job in Roseville Saturday, Brazeal was a patrol sergeant in charge of a team of patrol officers.
“This is very bittersweet,” Cumming said. “I’m happy for the family because this is what they want to do, but we’re going to miss them a lot.”
