The "Beer Can Races" go back for half a century but the now crowded waterway no longer has space for 40 foot sailboats to race at top speed, according to the Department's Harbor Patrol.

The controversy over the race and the challenge it poses for Harbor Patrol was reported ina story in today's Los Angeles Times.

The story said in part: Sailboat racing in Newport Harbor is a beloved summer pastime that borders on obsession for some. But now that harbor police are stopping boats -- midrace -- to issue speeding citations, many longtime racers consider dropping out.

To read the whole story click here.

This just in from Harbor Patrol Dispatcher Brian Stanley

The boating public in Orange County will soon have an extra layer of security to rely upon in the event they need emergency police, fire or medical services.  Thanks to the diligent work of Lt. Colin Murphy, formerly of the Sheriff Department’s Emergency Communications Bureau, the State of California has recognized the Harbor Patrol dispatch center as a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).  As a PSAP, the Harbor Patrol has been given permission to install, and the state of California has agreed to pay for, a computerized phone system that will significantly enhance its ability to provide rapid emergency services to the citizens who rely on the Harbor Patrol for those services. 

When a citizen in Orange County calls 911 from a standard landline phone or cellular phone their call is routed to the police department having jurisdiction over that area.  When that call is answered by the emergency dispatcher, data is received on the dispatcher’s computer screen that indicates the caller’s address and phone number.  When the caller is using a cellular phone the data received indicates the caller’s phone number, cellular service provider, and the address of the cell tower receiving and relaying the call.  Additionally, by using global positioning satellite technology, the dispatcher receives the approximate lat/long location of the cell phone.  [more[

Prior to the installation of the enhanced 911 system, the Harbor Patrol dispatchers have used a standard landline to receive emergency and non-emergency calls for service.  When a 911 call was transferred into the Harbor Patrol dispatch center by the receiving police department all data was lost.  Often a caller in the middle of an emergency situation is too scared, irate or uncertain to give the emergency dispatcher pertinent information such as their location or phone number.  If a call was lost or dropped prior to obtaining a phone number, the dispatcher wasn’t even able to attempt a call back.  
Another feature of the enhanced 911 system is the ability for the dispatcher to transfer and conference phone calls.  This will make it easier for information to be relayed to multiple public safety agencies at the same time, eliminating confusion and saving valuable time.

The enhanced 911 system the will be a valuable tool for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol dispatchers and will allow the Harbor Patrol to provide the same level of public safety services to its citizens as all the other PSAP centers in Orange County. 

The Orange County Sheriff's Harbor Patrol Division provides law enforcement, marine/residential firefighting, open-water rescue and vessel assistance in the three Orange County harbors of Sunset/Huntington Harbor, Newport Harbor, and Dana Point Harbor, as well as the 48 miles of Orange County Coastline.

Over 250 people attended this year’s Make a Wish Old Glory Parade/Cruise.  There was a very generous $5,000.00 donation from a member of the Sheriff’s Advisory Council.  The families enjoyed a kid friendly catered cruise of Newport Harbor and a water display by the Harbor Patrol fireboat.  

Department personnel, including Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, flipped pancakes for the youngsters and their families.

Harbor Patrol responded to a rescue/medical aid call on Saturday June 28th off the Newport coast in which several agencies assisted. One of the on scene Long Beach lifeguards was nice enough to send me the attached photographs of the incident.  

Harbor Patrol  responded with the NBFD paramedics to the location 10 miles off shore. The call came from the Captain of a sport fishing boat “Ultra” that he had a semi conscious male on board that appeared to be suffering from cardiac issues.  Our fireboat staffed by Deputy Jason Middlekauff and Bert Copeland was able to transfer the patient off the fishing vessel, stabilize him, and transport him back to land and Hoag Hospital.   

Long beach Lifeguards, Newport Beach Fire department, and Los Angeles Life guards (Cabrillo Beach) all responded to the VHF mayday call for assistance. 

The Exchange Club of Corona del Mar, which has been supporting community causes in Orange County for 21-years, honored five members of the Department on Thursday.

The five received plaques and kudos from the Club’s Crime Prevention Program.  The club also donated to the Department three large sacks of teddy bears.  They purchased the bears with the proceeds of their recycling program.  The bears are used by deputies when there is a need to comfort a child they encounter when duty takes them to a family crisis.

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens attended the Awards Presentation. Club members, who have given the awards for several years, said it was the clubs first presentation attended by the county sheriff.

“I want to thank your club for honoring our personnel,” Sheriff Hutchens told the group.  “I think you know how much it means to them. As you see, they have brought family members and friends. It means so much, with all the negative press sometimes that we get, it really does my heart good that you are honoring these folks who absolutely everyday do a wonderful job. We appreciate your recognizing what they have done and I know they do. “

“I’m so happy to be Sheriff of Orange County,” she added.  “I’m here to serve you.  My message to you is simple; this is your sheriff’s department.  We’re going to take our direction from you. I’m going to work with these great men and women of this Department and we’re going to make it even better. “

The first presentation was to Deputy Holly Fisher of Harbor Patrol.

Harbor Patrol’s Captain Deana Bergquist said Deputy Fisher was well deserving of the award.  She has been with the Department nearly 19 years and has worked in Harbor for 5 years, serving in all three stations. She is licensed by the Coast Guard to captain a vessel of 100 tons. The license is recognition of her boat handling and navigation competence. It entitles her to wear a pin on her uniform noting the Coast Guard license. Only 16 members of the Department hold the Coast Guard license.

Captain Bergquist noted that the weather on Thursday was  near perfect but when winter comes, the day sky often darkens with storm clouds, gale force winds and waves that break over the jetties and inside the harbor.  When weather conditions turn ugly, some mariners, Captain Bergquist said kindly, “exceed their skill level.”

“Holly has been involved in a number of dangerous situations,” Captain Bergquist said. She told a story that occurred in January. More...

Newport Harbor, Calif. - The U.S. Coast Guard and Orange County Sheriff's Department (OCSD) signed a memorandum of agreement on Monday, May 12, 2008.  The agreement delineates the specific responsibilities of each agency when responding to maritime incidents in Orange County, Calif.

To read the Coast Guard press release click here.

About 75 people turned out early Friday morning at Doheny State Beach for a “paddleout” in memory of retired Lt. Darrell “Guy”  Poncy, known as a mentor to many in the Department.

About 30 of those at the memorial paddled offshore on surfboards and other floatables. Flowers were cast off the stern of a fishing boat that carried several members of Lt. Poncy’s family.  His brother was in a second boat.

Duke flew overhead and a Harbor Patrol fireboat gave a salute with water spray.  Retired Assistant Sheriffs Kim Markuson and Pete Gannon were among those attending the memorial.

Lt. Poncy died on April 15 while training for the Baker 2 Vegas Run. The Department’s  Womens Running Team placed first in their category in the competition and they dedicated their victory to his memory.

Pictures were taken by Harbor Patrol's Sgt. John Hollenbeck and Deputy William Nelson.

This coming weekend there will be a “Poncy Memorial Run & Walk.” It will take place on Saturday, May 17, starting at 0800 hours at Peters Canyon Regional Park, 8548 E. Canyon View Ave., Orange.

To see the flyer click on Poncy Run Revised.pdf (142.81 kb)

A dozen public safety officers from around the state were at Harbor Patrol headquarters in Newport Beach for a weeklong training program on fighting fires on the water.

Agencies that sent personnel to the training program were the California Department of Fish and Game, the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, the Sacramento Police Department and the Los Angeles County Lake Lifeguards. Harbor Patrol is one of only two agencies in California to provide training in marine firefighting tactics.

Fighting fire on the water is a difficult task, with the boat carrying the firefighters and the boat on fire both moving at the same time and independently of each other. Each is influenced by wind, tide, current and other factors. Playing a heavy stream of water on the boat on fire is likely to cause the boat to move. More...

HUNTINGTON HARBOUR — Sgt. Fritz Von Rettberg said he always knew that the Harbor Patrol was the ideal place for him when he joined the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in 1987. With a strong interest in the ocean, he jumped at the chance to serve as station commander at Sunset/Huntington Harbour in 2007.

The read the full story click here

You never know where praise will be offered for the work of the members of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Here are some kudos recently for the extraordinary work. 

Lt. Mike Betzler, Chief of Police Services for the City of San Juan Capistrano was praised by Senior Deputy Orange County District Attorney Tracy Rinauro for his assistance with the San Juan Capistrano gang injunction. Senior D.A. Rinauro wrote, "I have had the pleasure of working with Lt. Betzler for the past year and a half. He is an amazing asset to the Sheriff's Department, the Orange County District Attorney's Office and the San Juan Capistrano community. Lt. Betzler was instrumental to the success of the gang injunction. He has an amazingly positive attitude and excellent communication skills. I have recently had the opportunity to work with Lt. Betzler on gang prevention programs in San Juan Capistrano. He has built a professional relationship with several different community organizations throughout Orange County. Lt. Betzler has connected me to many of these community leaders to work with them on gang prevention
projects in San Juan Capistrano. Lt. Betzler genuinely cares about the San Juan Capistrano community and he is dedicated to making it a safe place to live and work. He has an incredible amount of energy and has on many occasions gone above and beyond the call of duty to assist me with establishing a gang prevention project in San Juan Capistrano. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to work with Lt. Mike Betzler. His professional demeanor, enthusiastic, positive attitude and dedication to his career inspire me."

Sgt. Mike Gavin was recently featured in the OCTA newsletter for his hard work. He has been with OCTA/Transit Police Services since September, 2006.  Sgt. Gavin supervises the Right-of-Way Team that patrols the OCTA right of way, and conducts special operations for Transit/Bus Operations.  He is currently working with OCTA staff on the implementation of the video live-feed capability for Transit Police Services. More...

On Wednesday, April 2, Gold Star Awards were given to 25 individuals for some of the best work and production in the Department last year. The ceremony honored Gold Star Award winners for both the Third and Fourth Quarters of 2007.

We are working on a reconfiguration of the blog that should allow us in the near future to give a full account of why each of these individuals was given the award. For now, here are the names of the winners. They deserve our praise. More...

The sky was overcast and the water calm on the morning of March 25th, 2008. Three United States Coast Guardsmen shoved off aboard an Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol Division vessel on a training/operational mission in Newport Harbor.

The goal of the mission was to further coordinate response capabilities between members of the Federal Government’s Coastal Security Force and Orange County’s Coastal Law Enforcement /Rescue Unit.  The exercise was also designed to provide Coast Guardsmen and Deputies the chance to gain insight into the other’s techniques, command structure and daily operations. 

These issues are crucial. Should a terrorist attack or a natural disaster occur the established Port Security Act, which covers the Orange County coastline, would require both the United States Coast Guard and The Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol to work together to ensure the safety of Orange County’s Harbors. 

One of the first encounters involved the three-man Coast Guard boarding party stepping aboard a 50-foot power boat from an Orange County Sheriff’s Department Fireboat. The expensive pleasure craft  kept cruising through Newport Beach Harbor with the boarding party still aboard.  More...

Harbor Patrol Fireboats from the Newport Beach and Sunset Beach stations rendezvoused off of the Huntington Beach Pier on Monday morning to give a water salute to the graduates of Basic Academy Class 183.

The two boats blasted geysers of water into the air to honor those who will graduate tomorrow night after what some call the toughest law enforcement training course anywhere.

The graduates paused near the end of the pier to give a demonstration on how pushups are to be performed. More...

This video was featured at the Medal of Valor luncheon last Friday. The Register covered the ceremony here.

Deputies Chris Corn, Sean Scoles and Bert Copeland were underway in a Department fireboat on a routine patrol in early March.

The sea was calm and sky was clear. The weather was warm enough for Deputies Corn and Copeland to wear shorts for the first time this year. Deputy Scoles was still in long trousers; winter is technically still with us. All three know that the relatively quiet winter season will soon end and the busy spring and summer boating season will begin. 

Throughout the year the Department’s Harbor Patrol provides all law enforcement services on the water and they serve as the only marine firefighters in the county. In winter they also provide the services undertaken during the summer by city and state lifeguard boat crews.  If there is a winter rescue  requiring that requires a boat, it is Harbor Patrol responds. 

The patrol area for the Department vessels based in Newport Beach  from the Huntington Beach Pier south to Main Beach in Laguna Beach.  The county is responsible for anything that happens up to three-miles offshore.

In summer, the entrance to Newport Beach harbor is often clogged with boats.

“You name it. We are out here with everything ranging from multi-million dollar vessels to boats that barely float,” said Corn, the senior deputy aboard. More...

The latest group of Public Service Responders to join the Orange County Sheriff’s Department as volunteers include a DNA research supervisor, an equity firm COO, an attorney, a cable splicer, an orthodontist and a plastic surgeon.

The life skills these 55 volunteers bring to the department are a valuable resource that is available when needed to fulfill the mission of the Department. Many of these volunteers turn out no matter what time of the day or night they are called. They receive no pay and hold no law enforcement powers or any right, beyond that of an ordinary citizen, to carry a firearm.  All PSRs must complete CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) training to remain active in the program.

The program is administered by Capt. Brian Wilkerson and Lt. Thomas Slayton

PSRs contribute many hours of their personal time to help the Department in a myriad of ways. Some of the PSRs work on individual projects for the Department, providing their expertise wherever it is needed.

For example, some PSRs recently set up a blog for the Reserve Division.  The address of that Website is: http://www.ocsdcsd.org/blog/

Others join Reserve Units that accept PSRs. Those units include the following:

High Tech Services: This Reserve Unit provides highly trained experts in a wide range of fields, including photography, video technology and computer technology.  The unit provides help to the department in such fields as teaching parents how to protect their teens from Internet dangers to assisting the bomb squad in training and researching ways to disarm explosives. The unit seeks members who have expertise in a wide variety of skills, ranging from architecture to database design, computer programming, Web design and video production.  More...

Calmer heads have prevailed in the controversy over sailboat racing and boating safety in Newport Beach Harbor. The Department Harbor Patrol is featured in a story about the effort to insure boater safety published in this week's The Log, a regional boating magazine. To see the full story go to

http://www.thelog.com/news/lognewsarticle.aspx?x=5460

OC Parenting Magazine reports on The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County and Inland Empire; and Wish Kid Dylan, our Deputy for a Day:

"At 3:30 p.m., after an already exciting and activity-packed day, Dylan was taken to lend his expertise at the Newport Beach Harbor Patrol. He conquered land and sky, but now it was all about water. With the helpful coordination of Lieutenant Erin Giudice of the Harbor Patrol, Dylan was able to drive a fire boat around the harbor and watch the seals relax on a buoy.

'Shooting the fire hoses and driving the fire boar was his favorite part of the day,' Robert [Dylan's father] says."

Read the whole thing right here. (Go to page 25)

For more on Dylan's day with us, see here.

From Captain Bergquist, OCSD Harbor Patrol: "Julie Deyan is a marine science expert who is currently working with the Orange Coast College Coastal Dolphin Survey Project.  They are conducting a study of dolphin behavior in the Newport Harbor area and she was a ride-along on Tues, Dec 4th with Sgt. John Hollenbeck as he was on one of his regular patrols.  During the patrol, they encountered a significant pod of Risso’s dolphins who appeared to be migrating along the coast at Newport Harbor (initial sighting by Deputy Wray by CDM).  She couldn’t have been more excited!!!"

Here's the "Thank You" from Ms. Deyan:

 

From a phone call from Newport Beach Police Chief John Klein:

Chief Klein called to express his thanks for our dive team locating human remains today (July 13) off the East side of the Newport Jetty.

Two station 43 detectives and the coroner's office responded. Chief Klein wanted to give his personal thanks to our staff for being diligent in their efforts to locate the female.

Our dive team located several remains while on a dive off the east jetty in less than 40 feet of water. Sergeant Von Rettberg and Deputy Beachner assisted on the fireboat, and Deputies Schnell, Slikker and Lofland were the divers.

We attempted to dive last week, but the current and conditions were not favorable for the mission.

Here's a CBS2 story on the dive.

Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol Operations extend far beyond Newport Beach Harbor. What may appear as a local operation actually has many regional implications – providing patrols from Dana Point to Sunset/Huntington Beach, along the coast and three miles out to sea. Interaction with local, state and federal agencies is a daily occurrence as we plan, prepare and train for the many roles Harbor Patrol is called upon to serve. 

Sergeant Scalise and Deputy Sizemore recently participated in a joint training exercise with the United States Coast Guard and the crew of the USCGC Halibut. 

From the United States Coast Guard Cutter Halibut Newsletter, Breakwall: 

“HALIBUT recently completed another demanding month of patrol focusing on Search and Rescue (SAR), Enforcement of Laws and Treaties, and Homeland Security in its area of operation from Dana Point to Morro Bay, CA. These patrols proved challenging and exciting for the crew as HALIBUT completed joint operations with Los Angeles (Marina Del Rey and Isthmus), Orange County Sheriff’s (Newport), participated as a SAR asset in the Catalina Ski Races, and responded to two SAR Cases.”  

Additionally, as highlighted in the USA Today, the United States Coast Guard has called on police and rescue dive teams to join in training exercises “to help protect the nation’s ports, harbors and waterways.”

From USA Today, “’For the first time in the (scuba) industry, we have a malicious threat to manage," says Steven Orusa of the International Association of Dive Rescue Specialists. "Any place that has water in its jurisdiction may have a risk — recreational, commercial, shipping or industrial.’”

The debate over who should operate Newport Beach Harbor Patrol is stuck in the doldrums. Leave it to the Daily Pilot's Barbara Venezia to liven it up a little:

"The harbor issue has already been studied seven times. Not satisfied? The county CEO is preparing a "Harbor Study Scope" and wants the Harbor Patrol, Newport and county to split the cost.

The Sheriff's Department's Harbor Patrol does a great job in our harbors. The whole county pays for these services through their taxes. So why fix it when it isn't broken? When 80% of the boating public using Newport Harbor is not from Newport Beach, what makes the county think we should foot the bill?"

And finally, this is an appropriate time to point you to the video of the debate Sheriff Carona participated in last month.  If you'll remember, the Sheriff was supposed to sit down with Supervisor Moorlach to discuss this issue; instead, Bruce Whittaker, from Supervisor Norby's office was sent to discuss.

The video was cut into six parts. The rest can be found below, or on our YouTube Channel right here.

Here's Part 1:

It was a very special thank you from a U.S. Navy Veteran to the Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol.  

Kevin Hennessee returned home to Orange County from the war in the Middle East in May.  Prior to being deployed last year, he spent a good deal of time on his boat which served not only as his favorite toy, but a place of refuge while he was dealing with other personal issues. 

His twin engine vessel though, had seen better days as well.   “I was operating it on only one engine for a while”, Hennessee said. 

Not the best situation for a seaman to be in, especially when the winter weather strikes. But as the savvy Midshipman put it, “No matter the circumstances, the Harbor Patrol Deputies were always there, not to write tickets, but to lend a helping hand.” 

So to show his appreciation for the times when the waters were just too tough for his boat to navigate or too rigorous for one engine to handle, Hennessee, while fighting overseas in the Middle East, flew an American Flag in honor of the Harbor Patrol.  It was his way to say thanks. “They helped out during some of the toughest times in my life,” Hennessee said.  “Without those guys and their unwavering dedication and mutual respect, who knows where I’d be today.” 

Hennessee presented the Flag to Harbormaster, Captain Deana Bergquist on August 8^th.   

“We’re honored to receive it, especially considering it’s coming from a military man who knows the ultimate meaning and responsibility of to 'protect and serve,'"  Captain Bergquist said.  

The Flag will be placed in a shadow box and put on display at the Harbor Patrol Headquarters in Newport Beach.

A look at the causes of nationwide line-of-duty deaths indicates the dangers law enforcement personnel encounter on a daily basis. Aircraft, automobiles, boats, drowning, toxins, gunfire, motorcycles, weather, and natural disasters define line-of-duty deaths this year. They serve as reminders of all that officers deal with in their service to public safety.

The risks and challenges are accepted given our line of work. What’s more difficult to accept is the level of resistance and opposition we’ve encountered over the last six months from an unlikely source.

We’ve had our professionalism and integrity impugned in the attempt to establish a politically-motivated and poorly-developed civilian review process. We’ve been witness to several attempts to raid department budgets and funding sources – attempts we’ll see again in the near future. Still ongoing is the discussion to change the way Newport Harbor Patrol is operated and, if that’s not enough, the Board of Supervisors resisted allowing our Explorers to drive to Colorado to attend the 2007 Colorado Law Enforcement Explorer Conference.

Of course, the latest onslaught is last week’s press conference announcing that retroactive pensions are unconstitutional.

Many people have shared their concern that the politics of destruction have handcuffed public safety here in Orange County. While I would certainly agree that politics are at work, I am convinced that we must continue to focus on our strategic priorities and our mission to provide professional and responsive law enforcement services. After all, politics have no place in public safety and our extraordinary record of performance speaks for itself.

While we will continue to support and defend this department within the political arena we must ensure that public safety remains our number one priority. Of course, with the constant and unwavering commitment you have provided over the years, our ongoing success will not surprise anybody.