COUNTYWIDE : Deputies Hoping to Stay Afloat

When Sheriff’s Deputy J.C. Roberts goes on patrol, he encounters neither cars nor buildings. His cruiser has no wheels, and his beat has no streets.

Roberts’ realm is a stretch of blue-green ocean, which he oversees from a red, 28-foot fireboat.

“I love this job!” Roberts, 31, said as he set out one recent morning on which the sun was not yet visible through the clouds. Roberts echoed the sentiments of most of his colleagues.

Lately, however, the 40 deputies who make up the County Harbor Patrol worry about its future. County officials, searching for ways to slash the budget deficit, are scrutinizing about 40 county government departments to see if their services might be done by private companies for less cost. The Harbor Patrol is on the list.

Capt. Harry Gage, who oversees the division, says he for one does not believe that any civilian force could replace the Harbor Patrol. One reason, he said, is that his deputies have several roles--including that of police officer.

“The same law enforcement problems exist on the water as on land,” Gage said. “We do everything the deputies on land do . . . and more.”

That means the Harbor Patrol, while cruising the county’s three harbors--Newport, Sunset-Huntington and Dana Point--must fight fires and rescue boaters as well as make arrests and cite speeders and drunk drivers.

The deputies say there is a another good reason why they want to hang onto this beat: the working conditions.

Sweeping a hand toward the picturesque coast, with its quaint houses and craggy mountains, Roberts said, “We’ve got a view that most don’t get.” And with the beauty the deputies get excitement, he said.

One minute they are “watching the whales to pass the time away,” and the next there is a boater to rescue or a fire to fight.

Deputy George Patterson recalled one day last year when he looked at the water and saw a reflected glow. He scanned the shore and spotted a house on fire on Balboa.

Patterson, 47, said he and his partner hurried onshore and doused the blaze as it began to spread to neighbors’ yards.

“We got there before anyone did. And just the two of us, we saved the house and kept the fire from spreading,” he said.

Harbor Patrol deputies this year have been especially busy issuing citations, which so far total about 740 compared to 408 by this time last year. The reason, Gage said, is simply a larger number of people using the harbors.

To prepare for this work, deputies must have at least one year of experience patrolling on land. Then they must complete 240 hours of classroom and field training.

Still, there is always a waiting list for this novel beat.

Ronald Rubino, who is chairman of the county task force studying privatization, said it is premature to predict the future of the Harbor Patrol.

“It’s just one item among many that we’re evaluating . . . and we’re still in the middle of the study,” Rubino said.

The task force will present its report to the Board of Supervisors in October. But the patrol, which became a division of the Sheriff’s Department in 1975, could be disbanded.

For Patterson and others, the loss would be great.

“Sure, it goes slowly out here sometimes, but that’s with every job,” he said. “But just as quickly, you could get a call for a fire or a sinking boat.”

The words were barely out when a call came over the radio.

“Report of black smoke coming from an engine,” a dispatcher said, giving the coordinates of the troubled boat’s location.

“See?” Patterson said knowingly, while Roberts deftly maneuvered the patrol boat through a mooring area and headed out for rescue.

Seconds later, the same dispatcher’s voice droned over the radio: “Cancel. Smoke caused by a faulty engine; nothing serious.”

“See?” Patterson said again, just as the sun finally made its appearance from behind the clouds. “Just another ho-hum day in paradise.”

County Harbor Patrol Activities for 1990 & 1991

Category 1991* 1990 Boat accidents 93 147 Boat tows 800 1,313 Boat stops/safety inspections 1,296 1,701 Burglary 29 26 Citations issued 742 838 Drunk operation 2 5 Fires 15 24 Medical aid 28 43 Rescues 149 155

* Through July

Source: Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Harbor Patrol Bureau