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The Log • Feb. 27 - Mar. 12, 2015 • 21
Boaters encouraged to keep a watchful eye — see something, say something
By Catherine French
SANTA BARBARA — Last year, a Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol officer was seri- ously injured after a burglary suspect was asked to stop for questioning. Two patrol officers had been alerted by a boater from Marina One who had noticed two men he was not familiar with going aboard boats. He reported his concerns to the officers. Santa Barbara Harbor Operations
Manager Mick Kronman, stated, “In February 2015, 54-year-old Tony Denunzio pled guilty to a felony charge of ‘Resisting a Peace Officer, Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury to the Officer.’ The sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 5th. The convic- tion stemmed from a May 2014 contact with now retired Harbor Patrol Sgt. Ed Stetson.” According to Kronman, Stetson sus- tained a serious arm injury while attempting to detain Denunzio, who had disobeyed a legal order to “stop” following a report linking him to a pos- sible burglary in Marina One. After the contact that resulted in Stetson’s injury, the suspect fled the scene on foot and was ultimately arrested by Santa
Attorney From page 6
prior to World War II, and was very active in the support of coastal defense operations during the war. After the war their role was scaled back to the civilian duties that most boaters are familiar with, such as courtesy safety inspections. Since 9/11, the role of the Coast
Guard has changed, and the support function of the Auxiliary has expanded accordingly. The primary mission of the Auxiliary is still centered on the promotion of boater safety and educa- tion, but they also work on projects ranging from the processing of mer- chant mariner documents to Hurricane Katrina recovery opera- tions.
Barbara City Police. Kronman offered this warning to all individuals who are contacted by peace officers: “This conviction should send the message that, whether it’s the Harbor Patrol or any other peace offi- cer, anybody contacted by an officer of the law should comply with their law- ful demands. This (felony conviction) resulted from a failure to comply with a lawful order to stop, and what ensued was a contact in which this man severely injured one of our offi- cers.” Kronman also said that it behooves all boaters and visitors at harbors and marinas to contact the local Harbor Patrol, harbor security or dial 911 when seeing something that doesn’t seem right. “See something, say something is
what we want citizens to do. We rely on the boater community to be our eyes. Our officers cannot be everywhere at once. In Santa Barbara Harbor, we rely on our many liveaboard boaters as well as others to let us know when some- thing needs to be checked out,” Kronman said. He also stated that it is in everybody’s best interest to be aware of their surroundings and individuals
David Weil is licensed to practice law in the state of California and, as such, some of the informa- tion provided in this column may not be applica- ble in a jurisdiction outside of California. Please note also that no two legal situations are alike, and it is impossible to provide accurate legal advice without knowing all the facts of a particu- lar situation. Therefore, the information provided in this column should not be regarded as individ- ual legal advice, and readers should not act upon this information without seeking the opinion of an attorney in their home state.
David Weil is the managing attorney at Weil & Associates (
weilmaritime.com) in Long Beach. He is an adjunct professor of Admiralty Law at Loyola University Law School, is a member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States and is former legal counsel to the California Yacht Brokers Association. He is also one of a small group of attorneys to be certified as an Admiralty and Maritime Law Specialist by the State Bar of California. If you have a maritime law question for Weil, he can be contacted at (562) 438-8149 or at
dweil@weilmaritime.com.
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who seem like they do not belong in the area. Kronman
stressed the importance of contacting a law officer when you think something is wrong. You can use your marine radio or your cell- phone, or contact an officer on foot or as they are patrolling the harbor. Or just dial 911. Here are a few statistics from Santa
Mick Kronman, who heads operations at Santa Barbara Harbor, urged boaters there to keep a watchful eye and report any suspicious activity within or surrounding the marina. Reports could be made via radio, touching base with a Harbor Patrol officer or calling 911.
Barbara Harbor for 2014: 53 citations for illegal entries (to the marinas) issued; 18 incidents of disturbing the peace (loud party, fighting, drunk and disorderly, etc.); four citations for van- dalism; and, 10 for theft and burglary. Annually there are a few arrests made for an outstanding warrant and tres- passing charges aboard a vessel with- out the owner’s permission. Kronman advises to be aware, be
Letters From page 7
around to stores without a car. Marina managers treat boat owners as criminals, while they violate city health and safety codes. Let’s face it, you will sooner see a channel dug across Point Loma to Mission Bay than see the port do anything to make life easy for small boat owners. Cliff Klinert
Submitted on
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Indemnity? Re: Ask a maritime attorney (Feb. 6 issue). Since the origin of the fire was another vessel, there is a possibility that the owner (or someone else, even the marina) may be liable for not only repaying you for the removal of your salvaged hull, but even the loss of the value of your boat. More
observant and be a good neighbor. He says the harbor has a Dock Captain system. On each finger there is an indi- vidual who is responsible for tabulat- ing what happens and reporting these things at regularly scheduled meetings with the Harbor Patrol. “To be very clear, the Santa Barbara
Harbor is very safe; we see similar behavior each year. It is a safe and fun place to be,” Kronman said.
facts would be needed. Anonymous
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Kudos to Marine Group Re: Marine Group a generous neighbor to Living Coast Discovery Center (Feb. 13 issue). It’s nice to hear that Marine Group is so deeply involved with assuring the viability of the Living Coast Discovery Center. Kudos to them for giving back in such a significant way. I hope other busi- nesses along the waterfront will heed their example, and do what they can to help keep our waterways safe, and their resident flora and fauna, healthy and flourishing. Thanks for reporting on a positive issue! Dean A. West
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