Ludington Beach Patrol not patrolling beach very much.

[AQUAMAN]

Per this witness over this summer I can definitely say that Ludington's Beach Patrol isn't up to par with substituting for our Ludington Lifeguards at all. Throughout the summer I noticed people playing loud music, running dogs, and drinking alcohol on the Ludington Stearns Park Beach repeatedly, and without any encounters with the Beach Patrol. I also noticed just the other day last week, when winds reached 35 mph and waves crested at 6'-8' high, crashing the breakwalls, that Beach Patrol was casually visiting with the female bikini groups, and not paying attention to swimmers nor breakwall walkers. Last Friday, the Beach Patrol was at the Loomis St. ramps, a blonde and brunette male. These two young men were writing tickets to fisherman, and peering into vehicles windows. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera. Question is: are they entitled or permitted to write infraction tickets for parking? Are they also allowed to peer into vehicle windows, looking for God knows what? Meanwhile, the routine the lifeguards followed of protecting lives, and watching for possible drownings, goes totally ignored. Methinks this entire Beach Patrol is a waste of city taxpayer monies. They are there for fun or police work, not protecting lives! Anybody else seeing these things? Thanks. 

[XLFD]

My dozen or so Stearn's Beach visitations this year, mostly drive-thru or ride-thru incidences, had me seeing the beach patrol in most visitations (an improvement from previous years), but I can't recall ever seeing them on the beach.  The sidewalk between the two restrooms, the parking lot, near the skate park, tooling around Lakeshore and the Outer Drive with the Patrol-mobile, and multiple times at the Loomis parking lots, looking for permits and writing tickets as necessary. 

If someone is drowning, these guys are most likely not going to hear about it until after a beachgoer makes a call to 9-1-1 on a cell phone, unless they waste valuable time trying to track a beach patroller down, who will probably not have rescue skills or the urge to try to use them (too much liability involved if they do).

[AQUAMAN]

Exactly X, doing almost anything BUT patrol the beach. I even followed the blondy guy to the fire station where he made cell calls and ate lunch, for over an hour, at prime time 2pm on a weekend day. The "Beach Patrol" imho, is a big joke, on the taxpayers, and NOT a joke on the swimming and breakwall public. The weather now is turning to fall quickly, and I'm afraid, that someone is going to get in trouble in the water, and the dummy kids paid to patrol, aren't going to even know about it until too late. Hoping someone else can help document what both X and I have personally witnessed, with camera/video. It's sickening that this scenario even exists, esp. at Stearns Park nowadays. If they had a 4 wheeler down at the water and around the beachgoers, okay. That "golf cart" vehicle is just another waste of money. Used for joy-riding and chasing down the bikini crowd. I also wonder why they let the park get so congested with traffic and don't stop the in-flow from Lakeshore, when it's plain and obvious the park is already over-filled with cars and people. I've seen 20 cars both north and south trying to enter the park, when the traffic is already lined up from Lud. Ave. to the end of the north side. Stupid and distracted kids is all I see, probably related to more city hall people, and having the time of their summer lives. Meanwhile, John Q. Public is at a very dangerous risk level. Duh! 

[Willy]

I've been wondering myself exactly why the Beach Patrol exists. I only see them in the parking lot, not on the beach and they're not exactly dressed for water rescues if they ever happen to get near the water. All I ever see them do is talk to people. I guess they were hired to act as Stearn"s Park greeters so they can say "howdy" to all the tourists, just like a Wal-mart greeter does. I wonder which Government officials the patrol members are related to.

[stump]

The reason they hire the young guy's for the beach patrol is so they can get chummy with the young kids down there. Looking for beer and drugs. My brother once told me that the beach patrol cop asked him to open his cooler that was in the back of his pick up, he told him that he could look if he got a search warrant. Then the cop told him he didn't need a warrant, my brother told him that he better go back to school.

[AQUAMAN]

Those Beach Patrol kids are just supposed to be looking at breakwall walkers and watching the swimmers, not visiting and wasting time. They also aren't cops, nor have any authority beyond reporting any crimes to cops, not writing parking tickets, nor any tickets imho. They weren't hired to look into anyone's car, truck, or coolers either. Good for your brother stump, they were trying to violate his rights, and will if you let them. All those kids are going to do is call 911, way after the fact of any emergency, and by the time they respond, the drowning will already be history. 

[XLFD]

The beach patrol, like the LPD reserve officers, believe they have more authority than they do, but they are not licensed officers, and their ability to do police officer actions is very limited. 

This is why it is important for our city to make specific rules about these phantom police agencies that are being ran by the chief as his own, the reserve officers and the beach patrol.  I doubt they even have the authority to write you a parking ticket at the Loomis Boat Ramp because  by section 58-53 of the city code which states that only police officers have that ability.  This would be a great thing to test in Judge Wadel's court. 

[stump]

Time for another FOIA on parking tickets at the boat ramp LOL

[XLFD]

Even better, I read the following state statute that limits the rights of people other than police officers to issue tickets for parking (MCL 257.675d) and if you check out section 2 it says:  "Before authorizing and utilizing persons other than police officers to issue citations, the law enforcement agency or local unit of government shall implement a program to train the persons to properly issue citations as provided in this section, of which not less than 8 hours shall be in parking enforcement, conducted by that law enforcement agency or the law enforcement agency for that local unit of government or, if the local unit of government does not have a law enforcement agency, by the county sheriff. A person who successfully completes a program of training implemented under this section may issue citations as provided in this section as authorized by the law enforcement agency or local unit of government. A law enforcement agency of a local unit of government shall not implement or administer a program under this section without the specific authorization of the governing body of that local unit of government."

There is no authorization in the city code for reserve officers or beach patrollers to issue tickets.  Part 1 of that law also only authorizes them to issue parking tickets in limited situations, none of which amount to parking without a permit in a restricted parking lot. 

[stump]

So that probably means that most parking tickets given out at the boat ramp should be invalid and who ever got one should receive the fine money back. Another class action law suit. Pay me now or pay me later.

[XLFD]

It looks that way.  I'm going to verify that there is no such authorization by the local government, or any parking enforcement training records of police reservists and beach patrollers with my faithful friend, the FOIA request. 

[AQUAMAN]

Very interesting facts on the Michigan codes of parking ticket issuance and city codes. Whether it's legal or not still remains a moot issue to me anyhow. The effects will be to deter and annoy fisherman from returning to Ludington to fish and spend a lot of money. Is that what is at the bottom of all this? I mean, would city fathers prefer to treat fisherman from out of town with disrespect so they don't return? Like they are low-lifes? Is this a way to help purify the tourists into the fudgies they prefer and want here? The hoity-toity crowd that shops the tourist-trap areas and eat at the finest restaurants? Stay at the finest motels/hotels? Sure would appear like it to me. We have already been down this road last season, and many fisherman are NOT returning as it is. The fishing here now is at a low too, not as many fish, not as big either. Combining the two factors could bring a lot less fisherman here, and already has. Many fish talk forums reflect this already, and it isn't improving for the better. More great ideas and conduct unbecoming city fathers for true positive financial progress for our area is what we are witnessing imho. 

[AQUAMAN]

UPDATE: the two Beach Patrol kids are Adam Claveau and Tom Potts. The cost to have them is just a tad under $15K per summer, about $10K less than lifesavers that matter, and make all the difference. The best reason given to date for their being is liability? Hey, the COL is liable any way you look at it, duh. They think by posting signage that says "swim at your own risk" satisfies the risk of no lawsuits, boy is that dumb! If lifeguards were there at the beach, the risk is greatly minimalized. Even if a lifeguard couldn't save a life due to nature's fury, at least the effort was there for saving a life. That in itself would be a strong issue for any judge to rule on in favor of if a lawsuit were to happen. I doubt any ethical attorney would even take such a nuisance case to begin with. So, in the end, the sorry COL excuses for no lifeguards remains a strong safety issue for us all.