THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 27, 1995 TAG: 9507270592
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover story
SOURCE: BY CINDY CLAYTON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 137 lines
``When constabulary duty's to be done,
``The Policeman's lot is not a happy one.''
- W.S. Gilbert
``The Pirates of Penzance,'' 1879
WHEN CONSTABULARY DUTY is to be done, Norfolk Police Sgt. Raymond Litchfield and his officers likely would say their lot is a happy one.
Small wonder. The 10 men who comprise the Norfolk Police Harbor Patrol have found their niche on the squad.
While they have an office with desks, filing cabinets and paperwork on land, these guys have gladly traded their patrol cars for boats and sometimes
The job of the Harbor Patrol during the summer is to protect boaters and enforce the law and Coast Guard regulations on the city's lakes, the shores of Ocean View to Willoughby Bay and along the Elizabeth and Lafayette rivers.
It's an assignment each member of the squad requested, and one, they say, is necessary in a city with so many waterways.
The officers say they enjoy the job and are grateful for the positive response from boaters.
``There's a totally different attitude from boaters than (folks) on land. They feel alone out there,'' Litchfield said.
Most of the officers join the team during the summer months, then go back to another patrol assignment on land during the winter.
Trained in diving, marine rescue and boating accident investigations, the officers often find themselves in their own world, far removed from traffic tie-ups and armed robberies.
``It's one of the few jobs in the police department where we're alone,'' said Barry Clark, a member of the team for two years. ``Out here, we have a sergeant, but he's not just out here with us. He's out here working, checking licenses.''
Working with a small team, Clark said, can have its advantages, but it also has its difficulties ... and dangers.
``We are out there on our own,'' said J.D. Brown, who has been on the squad for eight years. ``There are a lot of days when there are just two guys working (on the water).
``When you come alongside a boat where there are a lot of people and they've been drinking, it's hard to call for backup.''
Foul weather adds a new dimension to the job of the floating crime fighters.
``You've still got to pay attention. On the water, you've got wind and tides and stuff ... your street is moving,'' said Brown, 43.
During fair weather, a typical day for the crew means writing tickets for speeding boaters or for lack of safety equipment, conducting boating safety checkpoints or diving to recover weapons and bodies.
The team is split in two; one patrols the lakes and the other patrols salt water, including the rivers, the shores of Ocean View, Willoughby Bay and the harbor.
The saltwater patrol consists of eight officers, including Litchfield, who has been with the team for about seven years. Their primary modes of transportation are two Kawasaki 750 personal watercraft, two 24-foot Privateer power boats and one 28-foot custom-built Privateer.
The latter has been in service for about a year and comes equipped with a fire valve that can douse a fire with up to 500 gallons of water a minute. The boat has a cabin and can store other fire and paramedical equipment. It takes two officers to man the boat, and an emergency medical technician rides along.
Each member of the saltwater crew is a certified diver. What they dive for most are bodies.
But diving locally presents special problems, Brown said.
``A lot of what we do is in very low or zero visibility,'' he said. ``You run into bicycle frames, shopping carts and fishing line. It's a whole different ballgame.''
Brown, who says he figures the team has searched for 20 to 25 bodies, said the diving aspect of the job can be psychologically demanding.
``You think you're going to come face to face with them (the bodies),'' he said.
Like their land-based counterparts, the salt- and freshwater patrols write summonses for speeding and drunken boating.
Speeding on water is just as dangerous as on land. It results in waves that fan out, called wakes, that can damage or capsize other boats.
Boaters under the influence of alcohol or drugs are restricted by the same laws as motorists. A breath test that shows a blood alcohol level of .08 percent or higher is enough for the officers to arrest or take away the driver's license of the offending boater.
But the majority of summonses written by both teams are for routine equipment violations.
At a recent boating safety checkpoint in Willoughby, Litchfield and his men boarded 51 boats and issued 16 summonses.
Litchfield says the purpose of the checkpoints is not to discourage folks from using their boats but to teach them how to use them safely.
Officers check for required equipment based on the class of the boat. The checkpoints change location and are held about once a month. The Coast Guard and marine patrols from other cities usually are invited.
Folks out on the lakes for a leisurely day of fishing should be forewarned. No alcohol is allowed on the lakes and not having a fishing license will net them a ticket.
One of the most important reasons K.B. Harris, Bill Hawkins and Howard Kangas patrol the city's water supply is to help keep down taxpayers' bills.
Part of their job is making sure folks don't fish from the shores of the city's many fish-filled lakes.
``Fishing from the shore erodes the lake, and you get more sand and silt (in the water), and, as a result, it costs more to treat the water,'' Litchfield said.
After a 40-hour or more workweek, most of the men retreat to their source of livelihood for their leisure.
Some squad members have their own boats, almost all are certified divers and dive for sport in their free time. Some plan to spend their retirement on or near the water.
Brown, who has been on the force 21 years, also runs a water-related business in his spare time. He owns his own charter boat called the ``Sho-Nuf.''
``When I do get my 25 years I can retire from here and slide into that,'' he said of his business. ``Being a police officer and working on the water are the only two things I know.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos by GARY C. KNAPP
ABOVE: As one of his colleagues motors past aboard a personal
watercraft, Al Lamoso of the Norfolk Police Harbor Patrol monitors
the waterways around Harbor Park aboard one of the department's
boats. LEFT: Greg Carpenter of the Harbor Patrol stops his personal
watercraft to give inspection instructions to a father and son who
are enjoying the water aboard their jet ski.
ABOVE: With Greg Carpenter assisting in the boat, Ollan Burrus of
the Norfolk Police Harbor Patrol checks the ID of a boater during
nightly patrol of the city's waterways. LEFT: Dave Lavertu of the
Harbor Patrol fills out an inspection sheet for a couple of boaters
who were enjoying a day on the Elizabeth River.
by CNB