On the water -- The law of the harbor

June Casagrande

It may be the ultimate assignment for police or firefighters: tooling

around beautiful Newport Bay in a boat.

But don’t be fooled by the glamour or the seeming serenity of the job.

Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol officers are law on the

water and a first line of defense against fires, too.

“There’s a lot going on here,” said Sgt. Karl Vonvoight. “As sheriffs,

we’re responsible for the marine enforcement, boating safety in the

Orange County Harbors up to 3 miles off the coast. We do law enforcement,

medical aid, even firefighting.”

Newport Beach’s Harbor Patrol station in Corona del Mar serves as the

headquarters and main dispatch station for the harbor patrol throughout

Orange County waters, which also has substations in Huntington Harbor and

Dana Point.

Usually two officers are in the fire boat, one each in two patrol

boats and one officer mans the dispatch station. Topping their list of

police duties is enforcing the boating speed limits and keeping jet

skiers away from swimming areas. But, like many police officers, their

jobs aren’t always routine. In the past, they have handled everything

from homicides on the water to arresting drunk boaters.

And, unlike other law enforcement officers, the Sheriff’s Harbor

Patrol also fights fires on and near the water.

“Fires on boats, fires on docks, even at homes on the water where we

have better access to the homes and an unlimited supply of water,”

Vonvoight said, explaining that the fireboat can pump water directly out

of the bay and onto a blaze.

In rare cases, some officers also work as dive team members for

rescues or retrieving lost property.

“There’s definitely a lot going on here,” Vonvoight said.