The Newport Harbor Patrol and Sergeant John Hollenbeck were recognized on Saturday at the American Cetacean Society Conference in Monterey. Deputy Joel Monroe said that the Harbor Patrol had helped to track sightings of bottlenose dolphins up.

Deputy Jason Middlekauff took a photograph of one dolphin (in the poster below) that was identified by markings as having been identified in San Diego Harbor as long as 20 years ago.

     Marine Operations Deputies J.C. Roberts and Tracy Sizemore were honored in a ceremony at the Newport Harbor station on November 6th.  Sheriff Sandra Hutchens presented the Deputies with their official commendations, earned for saving the life of a drowning fisherman off Corona Del Mar on October 3rd.  Dispatcher Keli Sheridan also received a commendation for her actions that day, although she was unable to attend.  The ceremony took place in the station’s conference room, packed full of Marine Operations staff members including bureau commander Lt. Erin Giudice, the Harbor Reserve unit, and representatives from local yacht clubs and businesses.  Sheriff Hutchens praised their dedication to duty and selfless actions in a dangerous situation in which a drowned fisherman was pulled from heavy surf and resuscitated by the two deputies.  Their actions were a perfect example of the outstanding performance of the staff of the Orange County Sheriff’s Marine Operations Bureau.

Left to Right: Deputy J.C. Roberts, Sheriff Sandra Hutchens and Deputy Tracy Sizemore

For details on the rescue as reported in an earlier Department Blog entry, click here.

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens gave her 120-day report to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, with her Command Staff outlining for the Supervisors the specifics of changes and plans that have been undertaken since she was sworn into office.

The PowerPoint presentation that was given the the board follows:

State of the Department - Oct 7 2008.pptx.swf (2.75 mb) 

For the Orange County Register's story on the Sheriff appearing before the Board of Supervisors click here.

Sheriff Hutchens held a press briefing on her presentation to the Board of Supervisors.

For the Orange County Register's story on the briefing click here. 

For the Los Angeles Times story on her briefing click here. 

Harbor Patrol Deputies rescued fisherman on Friday. Here is an account of the episode by Harbor Patrol Sergeant David Ginther.  

On Friday, October 3rd several people decided to try their luck at fishing above the rocky shoreline known as Ladder Rock along the cliffs of Corona Del Mar. Unknown to them, their luck would be rather diverse that day – from tragic to miraculous. The ocean, which occasionally claims a fisherman or mariner’s soul, was about to make another hardy attempt.

The adventure began that morning when the group of fishermen made their way to the coast then climbed a rugged cliff providing a perch about forty feet above the shore. In the afternoon, after hours of angling, they heard the heartrending screams from one of their party. They saw their friend missing from the cliff and flailing helplessly in the water below. He had apparently slipped on the jagged, slippery surface and fell into the cold ocean waters. They threw a life line from the cliff in a futile attempt to save their friend but were defeated by the insufficient length of the rope. Their fellow angler, clad only in sweatpants and a t-shirt, was soon unconscious and being drawn away from them by the hungry sea.

The emergency phone call was received at the Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol dispatch center in Newport Harbor. Twenty-six year veteran Marine Dispatcher Keli Sheridan gathered the critical details and immediately dispatched the fireboat manned by Deputies J. C. Roberts and Tracy Sizemore. The crew, responsible for the entire Newport Harbor and miles of the surrounding coastline, responded with lights and siren to the location about a mile down coast of the harbor entrance. They left under the impression that the distressed subject would be merely assisted aboard their boat. That the victim was drowning would soon be revealed.

The victim’s luck was about to change with the tide, literally. More...

It's called Harbor Watch and it is hoped that it will do for the Orange County boating community what Neighborhood Watch has done for residential areas.

"The goal is to have hundreds of extra sets of eyes and ears out there and to have anything suspicious reported to us," Harbor Patrol Sergeant Steven McCormick.

Harbor Patrol wants to hear about things that observers may feel are suspcious but not worth reporting.

Harbor Patrol wants to hear about things like people who appear to be engaged in surveillance, those who look out of place near critical facilities, tossing into or recovering items from the water, unattended boats and vehicles in criticial areas, unusual diving activity, boats signaling each other and people transfering between boats.

The program has begun with a pamphlet that has already been distributed to to shipyard operators and will soon being going out to marina operators and, ultimately, to boaters and shoreline residents.

"With all of our Homeland Security concerns, we want to hear about just about anything," Sergeant McCormick said. "We want to keep people alert, looking for suspicious activity."

The Harbor Patrol has enlisted its Reserve Deputies to help put together a presentation to take to public meeting and to do outreach in the Newport Harbor area to promote the program.

To see the program flier click: Harbor Watch 2008 flyer.pdf (603.02 kb)

The Christian Talk Radio station KBRT (740 AM) broadcast a series of spots called “Uncommon Heroes” to remind people that the heroism of 9/11 is repeated in everyday events to this day.  Three of the segments involved the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

To hear one involving a boat rescue by Deputy Diane Honicker and Deputy Russell Endsley, both of Harbor Patrol/Dana Point,

Both deputies were awarded Medals for Lifesavings in 2006 in connection with the rescue.

The announcement of their award said: Deputy Diane Honicker and Deputy Russell Endsley will be awarded the Medal for Lifesaving for saving the lives of four men whose boat was capsized by a large wave and had sunk. The four men were returning to Dana Point from San Diego where they had been fishing for bait. Sea conditions were rough with seven foot swells -- and Deputies Honicker and Endsley had to navigate in the darkness using the compass and radar due to decreased visibility to find them in the treacherous waters. More...

Captains Lee Trujillo (left) and Mark Billings 

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens announced the promotion of two captains and a reorganization of some divisions in the Department.

The two promotions went to Department members of long standing who have helped the Department with skill and dedication throughout their careers.  

For a look at the new organization chart click here: Scan003.pdf (27.09 kb)

Captain Lee Trujillo, a 23-year veteran of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, has been promoted to Captain and placed in charge of the Department's Investigations Divsion.

He previously had served as Chief of Police Services for the City of Stanton.

Captain Trujillo has held many positions with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, including patrol supervisor for San Clemente and Stanton, sergeant of the Directed Enforcement Team, and watch commander at the Intake Release Center (IRC) and the Emergency Communications Bureau (ECB).  Lt. Trujillo is also a former member of the Sheriff’s Department’s SWAT team and worked narcotics and gang enforcement.  He brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise.

Earlier this year he was awarded the Medal of Merit for his part in the setting up the Department's Cross Designation Program with Immigration Customs Enforcement to identify illegal immigrants incarcerated in the Department's jails.

Captain Mark Billings holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biological Science from California State University, Fullerton and a Masters in Conflict Management from Caifornia State University Dominguez Hills.

He joined the Orange County Sheriff's Department in 1985 and worked Corrections until 1989. He was promoted to Deputy II in 1989 and held assignments in Special Enforcement, Traffic and served as a Field Training Officer. He promoted to Sergeant in 1995 and returned to Corrections until being assigned as a Tactical Sergeant at the Sheriff's Basic Academy. He served at the Academy from 1996 to 2000.

He was made Lieutenant in 2000 and worked Corrections, as a Watch Commander and as the County Mutual Aid Coordinator-Terrorism Warning Group Chair/Commander, Operations Support Division from 2001 to 2002. In 2002 he was assigned as Chief of Police Services to the City of Dana Point and he remained there until 2006. He was named Commander of hte Sheriff's Regional Training Academy in 2006 and served in that position until his promotion to Captain and Command of the newly formed Homeland Security Divison. In 1994 he was named Dana Point Deputy of the Year and was a Gold Star recipient, ACT  and Course Instructor  at the Basic Academy, and trained as a Drug Recognition Expert.

Duke and Harbor Patrol Fireboats were among the Department Units that saluted the Recruits of Basic Academy Class 185 at the traditional Hot Dog Run at the Huntington Beach Pier on August 13. 

The class is to graduate tonight.

Harbor Deputy William Nelson took these pictures of the Air-Sea salute and high speed maneuvers that followed.   

The 87-foot long Coast Guard patrol vessel Narwhal will be berthing at Department's Harbor Patrol Dock while the federal governments upgrades the Newport Harbor Coast Guard Station.

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...