SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica Harbor Unit was presented with an award from the United States Coast Guard on Wednesday, June 22. The award was a recognition for the Harbor Unit’s 50 plus years of collaborative and excellent service.

The Santa Monica Harbor Unit is a civilian unit that is responsible for public safety on the Santa Monica Pier, and the surrounding beaches and areas. There are seven full-time and six part-time officers that staff the Pier Substation located on the west end of the Santa Monica Pier, 24 hours a day.

SM Harbor Unit 3

Harbor Officers are responsible for responding to a variety of water, beach, and pier related calls. Some of these calls can include boats or swimmers in distress, medical emergencies on commercial vessels, SCUBA diving emergencies, and aircraft related incidents. Officers are also responsible for maintaining the navigation aid buoys that surround the pier breakwater as well as continually conducting underwater inspections of the pier support pilings.

These officers were rewarded on Wednesday for their commitment to safety and to excellence. The plaque that the unit received had the engraving “Semper Paratus” which translates to “always ready.”

At the presentation, most of the Harbor Unit was in attendance as well as the Police Chief, the Deputy Chief, and a few other command staff officers.