The Ventura Harbor Patrol
Mission Statement: The Ventura Harbor Patrol provides a safe harbor environment through education, enforcement and training
The Harbor Patrol provides rescue and enforcement services within the Ventura Port District.
To fulfill its rescue mission, the Harbor Patrol is equipped with two rescue boats, one rescue/fire boat, and a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Its full-time officers are well trained in boating safety and enforcement. The Harbor Patrol is exclusively funded by the Harbor enterprise fund and as such their primary responsibility is to the Harbor. However as the only agency within the City of Ventura, the Harbor Patrol occupies a special niche in the public safety community. Its vessels are well-equipped to operate inside and outside of the Harbor. We have the long-standing practice of responding to all calls within a one-mile radius of the Harbor entrance and up to a three-mile radius for eminent situations. The Harbor Patrol will respond farther at the request of another agency provided the call does not leave Ventura Harbor uncovered.
All Full-time Harbor Patrol Officers are certified EMTs and are dispatched through the "911" dispatch system. The medical skills are useful on both the water and land, where they routinely arrive the scene of medical calls three to five minutes before paramedic services. This provides a key service to both the residents and visitors.
Enforcement Profile
The primary purpose of the Harbor Patrol is to enforce the Ventura Harbor Ordinance, boating law, and specific sections of other codes that relate to their primary duties. The Harbor Patrol is not trained, equipped or sufficiently staffed to other criminal acts that occur within the District. The Ventura Police Department is responsible for handling those call.
The Harbor Patrol Officers are granted Peace Officer status by section 830.33(b) of the Penal Code. Our enforcement profile is geared more toward education than punishment. We attempt to utilize the level of enforcement necessary to gain future compliance, although our stance on pollution calls is much stricter.
Hours of Operation
The Harbor Patrol has a minimum of two officers on duty from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. seven days a week. The Port District utilizes an "On Call" system for the remaining four hours. Callers are advised to call 911 in case of emergencies. 911 will contact the primary on call officer when a Harbor Patrol response is required.
As a result of this schedule, the Port District is able to commit to having at least two people on duty all of the hours that the Harbor Patrol Office is staffed, which allows Patrol to respond in a consistent manner to calls for service both inside and outside of the Harbor. It also allows the Officers to work a 4-ten schedule, which contributes toward the Harbor Patrol's low turnover rate.
The downside of the 20-hour schedule is that there is no officer on site 24/7 to respond to routine or emergency calls. However, statistical analysis indicates that less that 1/2 of one percent of the Harbor Patrol's calls for service occurred from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. It is felt that the upside outweighs the downside.