we have been working with the locals for a MOU to arrest and charge for state BUI. This has been in the works for several months and the deal is almost done. UNTIL we were asked by the county sheriffs to assest in a shorline search for a B&E suspect on an island in our AOR. We gunned up and were proceeding to the location when the sector told us not to go. What is going on!!!!!!!! they said it was too dangerous to conduct the search from the water. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't conducting a boarding on a rec. vessel with multiple p.o.b in small spaces considered more dangerous than then being 100yds off shore looking for someone with spotlights. It's just ridicoulos. We might as well be mall police. has anyone else experienced things like this.

I'm going to hold back on any judgement just yet as I don't know what Sector's reasons were. Could it have been anything to do with dangerous rocks or reefs near the shoreline? Maybe rough seas or heavy weather? (as a loud crack of thunder goes off outside my home)

The stations in the FL Keys have a good working relationships with the state and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. When they make a BUI arrest, they turn that person over to the FWC or MCSO. In return they have assisted in many of those other agencies calls. CG Stations Islamorada and Marathon were great for providing our USCS boats with crews and the same with Key West and our agents/officers down there.

On one particular night that I have mentioned before in another discussion, the MCSO detectives were trying to approach a murder suspect in Key Largo. He fired a shot at them from his handgun and fled onto a small mangrove island.

I was with Customs so we sent up two boats, FWC, the Sanctuary, Park Service and CG Islamorada all had boats surrounding the island to contain him. He even took a shot as us around 3 a.m. when we approached where he was hiding, with our spotlights. We couldn't return fire knowing there was a SWAT team in the woods near him. It pretty much goes with the job, doesn't it?

Eventually that suspect was found and he took his own life.

It seems like a pretty obvious statement when I say, "If you want cooperation from other agencies, you have to give it too." Hopefully someone from your station let the Sheriff's Office know the decision was not yours.

Don

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 21yrsUSCGUSCS,

I work at a sector OPCEN and we are not even allowed to run people! The sta's have to call the local (already very busy) pd dispatch to run people. AMATEURS!

we had no wx of any sorts, it was in our river. but yes we let the local pd know what was going on. my question is? how can they tell us no to play in our own backyard

quote:

Originally posted by lakeheary162:
we had no wx of any sorts, it was in our river. but yes we let the local pd know what was going on. my question is? how can they tell us no to play in our own backyard

I am sorry, I don't have an answer for you. The sad part is, I am betting the level of respect for the Coast Guard as a whole by your local Sheriff's Office has probably dropped a few notches. Most likely not against any of you personally as most people in law enforcement realize that everyone has to follow orders whether or not you agree with them.

Sorry for your frustration.

Don

Back in my day (and I retired this decade...) it sounds like a good issue for the OINC to take up with Sector OPS...of course conducting night-time area fam and training operations (especially in the use of NVG and spotlights) in a near shore AOR probably would have cost the OINC his station...what was that? The phone rings - something about someone in the water, calling for help? Launch the duty boat...

It is unfortunate things like this happen.
I have been at units where they were very proactive supporting the local PD. I also have been at units that did nothing. Those are the ones that had little to no respect from local authorities and the public. Most of the decisions made like that were JO's with very little understanding on what we are allowed to do. on what they can do.

what had that day's u/w events looked like? I had a similar case happen to me and finally found out the real reason is sector OPCEN was worried about our crew fatigue from earlier in the day, to launch at night for an LE mission. Remember, LE mission will always fall behind crew fatigue and SAR.... Don't take it personally as they saying you couldn't do it, just chalk it up to being cautious.

It didn't make sense to me when it happened, but finding that out made things a little more clear. Look at it from an operational commander's point-of-view from down at the sector.... one hand he has "get U/W for an LE mission" and in the other hand he's thinking "possibility of a mishap due to _______" (fill in the blank)

I don't know the specific reason why you had this come down as it did, but just something to think about.

-Nasty