Four from Coast Guard deputized as
U.S. marshals
They will perform land-based law enforcement around New York
Harbor
Staten Island Advance
Saturday, February 7, 2004
 Four members of the U.S. Coast Guard based on Staten
Island have been deputized as U.S. marshals to perform land-based
law enforcement around New York Harbor, a Coast Guard official said
yesterday.
Though the number of deputies is small, the move
represents a potentially widespread expansion of the scope of Coast
Guard operations brought on by heightened security concerns since
the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"It's a very significant change," said Lt. Michael
Sinclair of the Port Security and Tactical Operations branch of
Coast Guard Activities New York.
 Sinclair made the announcement yesterday at a
meeting of the Staten Island Leadership Institute, a program offered
by the College of Staten Island, at the Fort Wadsworth Coast Guard
base.
While Coast Guard jurisdiction previously ended at
the water's edge, the expansion, authorized by Congress, "gives us
the authority to enforce federal law. It's another tool to counter
the threat," Sinclair said.
The special deputies will be permitted to act in a
law-enforcement capacity at shoreside facilities around the Port of
New York and New Jersey.
The Coast Guard's vessel tracking center at Fort
Wadsworth follows about 1,400 commercial vessels in metropolitan
area waters, and their work often takes Coast Guard personnel
ashore.
 The Coast Guard's mission has expanded greatly since
it was brought under control of the newly created federal Department
of Homeland Security, Sinclair said.
The Coast Guard trained a specialized, SWAT-like
group, the Maritime Safety Security Team (MSST), which is part of a
heavily armed force that patrols the harbor.
MSST personnel can be seen aboard the Staten Island
Ferry and are sometimes detailed to escort ferries.
Federal marshals typically guard courts and help
transport federal prisoners, as well as pursuing and arresting
fugitives under federal jurisdiction.
The special deputies, who were commissioned
Wednesday, underwent special training and had previously served in a
police department.
The four special deputies are: Marine Safety
Technician Third Class John Krause, Boatswain's Mate Third Class
Benjamin Booth, Port Securityman Second Class Bryan Doel and Port
Securityman First Class Fred Taylor.
An additional five special deputies, including
himself, would be brought on in six months, Sinclair said.
by Seth Solomonow
Reprinted here with permission from the
|
