The day-to-day operations of the Port of San Diego's Harbor Police Department can change in a heartbeat.
Harbor Police officers patrol on both water and land – around the clock – servicing the Port's five member cities: San Diego, Imperial Beach, National City, Coronado, and Chula Vista.
"Harbor Police officers have a very diverse mission, and are a unique regional asset." said Harbor Police Chief John A. Bolduc. "Our officers patrol in vessels, they patrol in squad cars and they patrol on foot at San Diego International Airport."
The department's jurisdiction also includes two maritime cargo terminals (Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal and National City Marine Terminal), two cruise ship terminals, and the San Diego International Airport.
"Every Day is Different"
Corporal Magda Fernandez has been on the beat for 12 years. Her shift can span from days to overnight hours – and take her from issuing a parking ticket to fighting a vessel fire.
"Every day is different," Fernandez said. "There's no such thing as routine for us."
On average, an officer on patrol in a car covers about 100 miles a day.
"I go out in vehicles and enforce all laws pertaining to the Port of San Diego: penal codes, the vehicle codes and statutory codes," said Fernandez. "But we're not any typical police department. I can be in a patrol car, and a fire breaks out. That means I have to change into my firefighting gear and get assigned to a boat to assist in firefighting."
The Harbor Police Department is the only law enforcement agency in San Diego County that dually trains its members as police officers and marine firefighters.
Harbor Police Department vessels, the Firestorm 36, patrol San Diego Bay, similar to the way officers patrol on land. These vessels are staffed 24 hours a day, in all types of weather, and are able to fight fires both on land and on the water.
"All of our officers are trained as marine firefighters," said Officer Christopher Scheil, who is a firefighting instructor in the department. "The switching is part of the training. Firefighters who work for the fire department are trained to go from uniform to turnout gear, in one minute. Ours are trained to do it in about two-three minutes, because we have to get out of our law enforcement gear, secure our weapons, and put on our fire gear."
The Port of San Diego's Harbor Police K-9 team is one of the only federally-certified explosives and narcotics detection units in San Diego County. For that reason, they can be dispatched anywhere in the county.
Protecting the Port
The Port of San Diego is the fourth largest port in the state of California. At any moment, there can be a cruise ship in port, or a cargo ship offloading goods at either the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal or the National City Marine Terminal.
"When it comes to the marine terminals, due to the nature of the business and access to cargo, it makes the (terminals) vulnerable," said Fernandez. "We are always on alert to make sure everything is running smoothly."
Whether on patrol – either by car or offshore in a vessel – officers are trained to be vigilant.
"Part of law enforcement is being able to recognize something that is out of place – the only way to do that is to simply be out there and cruise the bay in our police vessels," said Scheil.
The Port of San Diego is also one of only 17 strategic ports in the United States. Its maritime terminals provide the infrastructure and services necessary to support military deployment activities, which can range from getting vehicles and equipment where it needs to go, to shipping household goods to servicemen and their families.
"We have a high concentration of military located right here in San Diego Bay," said Bolduc. "Therefore, integrating law enforcement and security - at the state, federal, and local level - is a key component to our job here at Harbor Police."
"One day you might be patrolling at the airport dealing with thousands of passengers. The next day you might be on a vessel handling rescues, handling fires or you might be in a car responding to accidents and other emergencies," said Bolduc. "It's a rapidly changing environment that's attractive to law-enforcement applicants because of the variety of jobs that we have here at Harbor Police."
About the Port:
The Port of San Diego is the fourth largest of the 11 ports in California. It was created by the state legislature in 1962. Since then, it has invested millions of dollars in public improvements in its five member cities – Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City and San Diego.
The port oversees two maritime cargo terminals, two cruise ship terminals, 18 public parks, the Harbor Police Department and the leases of more than 600 tenant and sub tenant businesses around San Diego Bay.
The Port of San Diego is an economic engine, an environmental steward of San Diego Bay and the surrounding tidelands, and a provider of community services and public safety.