Police Officer’s Role Fits, on Street or in TV Studio

When he’s not arresting lawbreakers, Seal Beach Police Officer Rick Paap is chatting it up with local movers and shakers on his call-in cable-TV show, “City Watch Live!”

When he hosts tonight’s on-the-air debate among four City Council candidates, Paap will be just back from an appearance on Fox television’s “Beverly Hills 90210,” where he portrayed--what else?--a police officer.

“I had to arrest one of the stars,” said Paap, an 18-year veteran of the Seal Beach Police Department. “It was a drug bust.”

Paap, 46, also conducts drug-abuse prevention programs in local schools and oversees Seal Beach’s Neighborhood Watch program. He is in his seventh year as host of the public-access cable show, which airs Thursdays at 7 p.m. on Channel 3 in Seal Beach, Sunset Beach and Surfside.

“I’m the poor man’s David Letterman,” he said, reflecting on the recent appearance of Scarlet, the piano-playing pot-bellied pig.

His porcine guest performed on an electronic keyboard placed on the floor.

“She really went to town on that thing,” Paap said. “She kind of played ‘Chopsticks.’ ”

Paap’s typical guests, however, are more articulate, often giving their views on community issues. Among the most popular of late: a Department of Motor Vehicles supervisor.

“The phones never stopped ringing,” Paap said. “You never get to talk to those people. She solved license registration problems all over our city.”

Paap said his police experience gives him an edge when he performs in such shows as “Unsolved Mysteries,” where he portrayed a detective and a Secret Service officer on two episodes last year. And his acting talent helps with police work.

“Sometimes you have to act mad just to keep in control of the situation,” he said. “The only difference is, it’s the real deal out here on the street.”

Tonight, Paap’s local viewers will be able to question the City Council candidates on the March 26 ballot. Planning Commissioner Patty Campbell and former Commissioner Phillip Fife are vying to replace incumbent Frank Laszlo, who is stepping down because of term limits. Incumbent George Brown and challenger Jeff Christ, a narcotics detective for the Los Angeles Police Department, are also scheduled.