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.
This is one area where the USCG contacts and the Harbor Patrol contacts differ. The Harbor Patrol procedure is to have a boat targeted for boarding put its engines in neutral and remain as stationary as possible during the boarding.
“We try our best not to impede maritime traffic,” Coast Guard Petty Officer Justin Brown later explained.
After talking about the difference for awhile, the reasons for the variation in practice became clear. The Harbor Patrol primarily boards pleasure crafts, and boats. The deputies rarely board ships.
The Coast Guard usually stops ships, cargo container vessels and such, and almost always the stop is made outside of a harbor. A Coast Guard boarding party is typically larger than the Harbor Patrol’s boarding party. A container ship boarding party is usually made up of eight armed Coast Guard personnel. They conduct safety inspections and they do not need probable cause to board a vessel.
During one joint boarding on the recent cross training exercise, a sailboat loaded with “Spring Break” students was checked out at the entrance to Newport Beach Harbor. The vessel was stopped.
Petty Officers Brown, Joe Drake and Michel Carreon verified that the vessel had ample lifejackets, navigation aids and all of the equipment on the standard checklist. Deputies Chris Chris Corn, Sean Scoles and Bert Copeland checked for underage beer drinkers. There were open cans of beer and some of the students were under 21 years of age. There was suspicion but no evidence that underage beer drinking was taking place.
The Coast Guard found that the vessel had recently been cited for having expired safety flares aboard but that it now carried all the proper safety equipment.
In all, the day was a success for both the Harbor Patrol and the Coast Guard. Each learned about the tactics of the other.
Petty Officer Brown wrote safety violations for two of the dozen craft he boarded while cruising with Harbor Patrol.
More importantly the Deputies and Coast Guardsmen who have a joint mission to protect our waterways got to know each other and a bit more about how each does their job.
With the challenges facing our country and our community, the two agencies are preparing for a day when they may have to work side by side, to protect the public.