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Grand Jury is critical of port workers' training
Officials say the eight don't handle security
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More from County NewsThe Ventura County Grand Jury has criticized the security training of some employees at the Port of Hueneme, but port officials say that group of workers no longer provides security.
In a 15-page report issued Tuesday, the civilian panel focused on the training and technology provided to "wharfingers" at the deep-water commercial harbor off Port Hueneme.
These eight employees ensure that operations at the port go smoothly, but they no longer handle security, said Anthony Taormina, the top administrator at the port. That ended in 2004, when port security came under the control of the Coast Guard after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he said.
"We thought the report was a good report on the basis of a group of citizens that are not familiar with U.S. Coast Guard rules and regulations and port security requirements," said Taormina, executive director of the port's owner, the Oxnard Harbor District.
"They were looking at the California laws pertaining to security guards, and they don't apply in this particular situation."
Taormina said the employees have security functions, but only in the sense of any other staff member who would call 911 if a problem required law enforcement. Before 2004, the wharfingers made security rounds and served as night watchmen, he said.
Don Cody, foreman of the Grand Jury, could not be reached for comment.
The Grand Jury recommended that the wharfingers be state-certified under a California law governing private security officers, that a field operations manual for wharfingers be developed, and that the employees be equipped with two-way radios linked directly to public safety agencies.
Jurors also recommended the Harbor District develop backup communication systems, make sure the port camera system is watched 24 hours a day, and continue to upgrade port security without regard to the source of funding.
Taormina agreed that up-to-date procedures for wharfingers do need to be put in writing but said using employees to watch cameras around the clock would be a waste of resources.
"We will look at all their recommendations, but certainly there was nothing that stood out as a vulnerability," he said.
The labor union representing the wharfingers could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Posted by newshound on April 23, 2008 at 7:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I would like to see an article on how the Grand Jurors are selected and what their qualifications are to make sweeping pronouncements.
Posted by tofurr on April 23, 2008 at 8:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What would you like to see in said article that is not already documented here:
Posted by targeted on April 23, 2008 at 3:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Grand jurors are not hired through Nepotism unlike the Dock workers.
Posted by skycop57 on April 23, 2008 at 4:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Port security is an important issue and the county should hire professionals to protect the port. The coast guard only takes care of the harbor and water not the port areas where lots of undocumented workers work, becuase people are not checking there background. The Wharfingers should either be hired to be safety officers of the port or security officers not one or the other I worked at port operations at Port Hueneme and the wharfingers are mostly ex security officers and they all wished they were armed to provent incidents at the port not make phone calls that would be too late for any one to respond to.
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