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Council hears complaints about waterfront noise, boat dereliction and marine enforcement; police outline resources and mutual-aid arrangements
Summary
A citizen raised repeated nighttime engine revving on the waterfront; Chief Brown said Port of Bremerton property is a factor, the department lacks capacity to patrol the busy evening period regularly, and explained marine-unit mutual aid and derelict-boat removal costs and funding constraints.
A resident, Pat Saint Laurent, told the council that repeated nighttime engine revving on the downtown waterfront is disturbing nearby residents. Chief Brown responded that the city relies on citizen calls when incidents occur and that the waterfront property in question is Port of Bremerton land; the department has discussed lighting and speed bumps with port staff.
Chief Brown said officers can respond when notified, but routine proactive downtown patrols during the reported late-evening window are constrained by call volumes elsewhere. He encouraged residents to call 911 or the police office at the time of the disturbance so officers can triage and respond.
The council also discussed marine enforcement and derelict boats. Chief Brown explained Port Orchard maintains marine enforcement capability and often supports neighboring jurisdictions under mutual-aid arrangements. He said derelict-boat removal is funding-dependent: removal costs vary widely (examples given in discussion: $10,000–$15,000 for some sailboats, up to $50,000 for powerboats, and substantially higher if a vessel is submerged), and the city has relied on past Department of Natural Resources grants to help cover removals. The city’s harbor boat is under maintenance, limiting recent removals.
Why it matters: Noise complaints affect downtown livability and sleep, and derelict boats present navigational hazards and environmental risks. Chief Brown and councilmembers urged residents to report incidents promptly so police can respond and to work with Port of Bremerton about on-site management.
Next steps: Chief Brown asked the clerk to provide the citizen’s complaint to the police so officers can follow up. Councilmembers noted potential port-led solutions (security, lighting) and discussed longer-term dashboard reporting and public data-sharing to show call patterns and hotspots. No new ordinance or enforcement change was enacted at the meeting.
