By Linda Sutter – November 17, 2022
Remember George Zimmerman?
In October the Harbor District sent two employees and the Assistant Harbormaster to “Peace Officer” training. Yep, they learned how to shoot guns and arrest people in 5 days.
It should be noted the Harbor did not contact the Sheriff or the Chief of Police in regards to this matter, nor was the public informed.
The Harbor spent hundreds of dollars for these three people to become Keystone cops, without placing the matter on the Agenda’s and demonstrating no transparency whatsoever.
It is reported that these guns are needed to make sure that no one steals and to remove vagrants. I asked do you have powers to arrest. Mr. Rademakers response, “Oh Yes.” I asked how about placing surveillance cameras up before spending thousands on harbor police? Well that cost money Mr. Rademaker said.
Hmm, I just went to Neil Lopez director of Office of Emergency Services who informed me there was money for projects such as surveillance cameras in the harbor for free. “Oh you have good ideas,” was his response.
Remember George Zimmerman from Florida? Yeah he was a keystone cop with a gun and gunned down Travon Martin and got away with it. Mike Rademaker informed me that they were planning to go to a training for Maritime peace officers. Let’s see what that entails.
The Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) Marine Law Enforcement Training Program provides training courses statewide to local law enforcement officers, harbor patrol officers, lifeguards, and other first responders that work in a marine patrol environment.
Statewide training ensures uniform enforcement of boating laws on all California waterways. With more than 100 local government agencies providing boating law enforcement in California, the purpose of the training program is to provide comprehensive, current, and effective training courses with reliable consistency.
Division of Boating and Waterways training courses are designed to accommodate all levels of boating skills. Fundamental courses for new boat patrol officers include: Basic Maritime Officer’s Course, Inland Boat Operator, Boating Under the Influence, and Boating Accident Investigation. More advanced courses for experienced boat patrol officers include: Advanced Maritime Officer’s Course, Rescue Boat Operations, and Marine Firefighter Operations.
Funny, I didn’t see where the gun aspects of this training come in because there isn’t any.
Mike Rademaker informed me that these officers will only have to qualify twice a year to hold a gun. Wow, Amazing, Pelican Bay Officers have to qualify quarterly if they are in a gun position.
The Harbor got a $7,336,566.00 dollar grant to replace the sea wall. Want to bet we will never see the seawall? But that is another story.
I suspect Lemus is behind this in his effort to make our harbor resemble Santa Barbara. They have their eyes on a 44′ boat. As a former boat owner I know that is going to require a lot of maintenance. And if they are going to do SAR, training, etc., where are they going to get a crew? Is the crew going to be on-call or full time? Are they going to be paid or volunteer (I doubt the latter). The Coast Guard left, guess they didn’t see a need, but I understand there is a Coast Guard Auxiliary here and that is their thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are going to ask the taxpayers for money.
The article in Wild Rivers Outpost talking about this also states that Lemus is going ahead with his plans in January, They haven’t relocated the current residents as promised. i understand they are told they have to leave for 2 days and can come back for 30 days. What sense does that make. So the Harbor Villains are going to oust the residents to make room for tourists. Don’t we have enough motels and RV Parks already? Some of the residents have been there for years. One family had to sell their home to pay for medical expenses and are living there in a trailer. The father is working but they can’t afford $1400 for an apartment. They are scared because they don’t know what to do. We attended meetings, but that was a waste of time. I heard them tell the residents they would find them a place–a lie. With the homeless problem the harbor is going to help put more on the street. Doubt if they run things in the future any better than the past. How about those solar panels? And they knew they had problems in the RV areas but didn’t do anything about it. Thought they had security already–what good is he other than riding around in his car.
But the current commissioners got re-elected so I guess we get what we deserve–not.
With all due respect, I think that if you had a boat in the harbor, you would be more supportive of spending money to stand up a qualified law enforcement agency in the harbor. The theft has gotten out of control. This has been devastating to our local fisherman, who are working hard to make an honest living, and who won’t survive if rampant thievery continues. Research estimates that the crime-reducing benefits of hiring an additional police officer exceed $300,000 per year, much more than the annual cost of an additional officer (source: https://www.ppic.org/publication/law-enforcement-staffing-in-california/) The current harbor security staff can only observe and report. This means they must rely upon our local Sheriff’s Deputies, who deserve our praise, but they are simply too understaffed to adequately patrol the harbor. If you don’t want keystone cops, and you don’t want another George Zimmerman, then why are you writing an article against funding for police? This article doesn’t belong on the Crescent City Times. The reference to MLETC suggests that further training will be conducted before anyone is carrying firearms on duty. Also, you should correct your article, because MLETC does require a firearms qualification. You stated: “Funny, I didn’t see where the gun aspects of this training come in because there isn’t any.” Actually, there is a very clear “gun aspect” to MLETC, just like any other legitimate law enforcement academy. If you look on the MLETC website you will find the answer. Question: Is a firearms qualification required for participation in the MLETC (Marine Law Enforcement Training Program). Answer: Yes, the curriculum includes live fire shooting exercises on an unstable platform, which is appropriate for a marine patrol environment. Source: https://dbw.parks.ca.gov/pages/28702/files/2022-Training-Calendar.pdf As a former law enforcement officer yourself, I don’t understand your hostility to qualified law enforcement in the harbor. This article reads like it’s part of the defund the police movement, which is not what I expected from the Crescent City Times. If you want Keystone Cops, then keep writing articles that argue against funding for qualified law enforcement. Also, it is not reasonable to expect a law enforcement officer to make arrests without a firearm. You’ve heard of the expression, don’t bring a knife to a gunfight? Many officers will go through their entire career without drawing their weapon, but they must be prepared for the worst. Funding for police is not about shooting people, it’s about crime deterrence. Please show your support for California Peace Officer’s here: https://cpoa.org/ (California Peace Officer’s Association)
I have nothing against having Harbor police. Having 5 days of training and claiming you’re a peace officer is laughable. Spending funds that are meant for the Sea Wall is misuse of funds. The Harbor REFUSES to get surveillance cameras. Why?
There is approximately $100,000 dollars through OES grants that would provide security to the Harbor.
Additionally, the Sheriff and the Chief of police were never contacted about this issue. So CCPOA before vomiting crap that I (a current member of CCPOA ) am trying to defund the police, you might want to look into some facts. I know for a fact Correctional Officers receive more than 5 days of training before they are PC832 qualified.
As far as MLETC, I copied and pasted from their website.