Re: your June 14 editorial, “Beach patrols require review�:
It would behoove The Star, and the community at large, to wait until a full investigation has been concluded in order to determine exactly what might be done to prevent this kind of accident from happening again — if indeed that is a realistic expectation — before offering solutions.
The Star stated, “People go to the beach to play, to relax, to sunbathe.� There are also those who go to commit assault, get drunk and disorderly, litter, etc. I live near the beach where the accident occurred and appreciate both the patrols and the dedicated individuals who perform them. We do expect to see police vehicles on the beach, just as we expect to see the maintenance trucks, big rakes and tractors, and the truck driven by the fellow who tests water quality. Vehicles are thus a regular part of the scenery. While the onus of safety may indeed lie chiefly on the vehicles, a degree of caution is advised all around.
Let’s hear the gist of what the experts come up with about how to improve safety. These patrols have greatly curtailed the presence of maniacal off-road vehicle operators on our beaches. Words fail to convey the emotional devastation that must be endured by the surviving individuals. We must collectively make amends as best we can to the victim’s family. But we must also extend our condolences to the police officers involved because we need to show them that this horrible accident does not diminish the many years of dedicated service they have performed on behalf of law-abiding Oxnard citizens.
We hope to see them on the beach again, after things have been figured by the proper authorities.
— Donovan Rundle, Oxnard
I feel that there is absolutely no reason why your beach patrol needs to use an SUV to comb the beaches. ATV's should be plenty. At least with an ATV they won't have blind spots. You feel that the victom's families should just brush this off as no big deal. And then your last statement saying that you think the two individual's driving the vehicle should be allowed back on the beaches to work. To me that is plain stupid and reckless. To me they should be put on trial and made to pay for what they have done to the sunbather who was wrongfully killed due to their neglect. Not doing your job appropriately doesn't give you the right to work and have a life when you take a life from a very vibrant woman who had a lot of life left in her. This is terribly wrong and should not be allowed.