By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City Beach Patrol Lifeguard Alumni Association supports the city’s efforts to investigate reports of abuse and harassment on the patrol over the years and asks those making anonymous allegations to work with officials to achieve justice.
Jack Brooks, president of the association, penned a statement about the process on the group’s Facebook site. He said he worked on it with another OCBP alum with input from other former beach patrol members.
In an interview after the post, Brooks also said there are three different areas to address.
‘Recent news reports and social media posts have highlighted a disturbing culture of abuse, harassment and intolerance by some past and present male members of the OCBP against younger female guards, female bathers and members of the LGBTQ communities,’ the statement reads. “Our Alumni Association condemns this conduct without hesitation or condition. Other reports outline a history of supervisory disinterest in exercising appropriate discipline or reporting clearly serious allegations of criminal conduct to law enforcement. When institutional discipline fails in a public safety organization, people are needlessly harmed and confidence of the rank and file evaporates. This is the unacceptable place we now find our Beach Patrol in its 123 years of history.”
The statement notes Mayor Jay Gillian’s administration has an “aggressive plan” to get the patrol on course and to ensure perpetrators are prosecuted or disciplined, and that the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and Sheriff’s Office are investigating the most serious allegations. The association applaud the administration for the “swift and clear response.”
That is where the association asked victims to come forward.
All the efforts “will be wasted if those victimized do not avail the remedies provided. Protections from retaliation are provided by law to those who report bad conduct in good faith. Anonymous posts are a significant and courageous start, but will not achieve justice for the victims until the posts are supported by evidence to support prosecution, conviction, discipline and dismissal.”
The association then said it would make sure there is a proper outcome.
“The concern is properly raised that some in power may put public reputation ahead of private harm,” the statement reads. “Our association of proud alums and the legacy for generations of OCBP families will not let that happen. It is pointless to promote a reputation as the greatest family resort, with the safest beaches in the world, when we are unable to protect our own beach patrol family. We wholeheartedly urge and support every victim to exercise their right to vindicate the wrongs against them.
“We likewise support and encourage those who saw something to say something. The OCBP Alumni Association stands ready to assist in any way requested to help restore our proud heritage,” the statement concludes.
Brooks pointed out that there are different levels of concern, some which may have been beyond the city’s direct oversight.
“There is the ‘he said, she said’ or even ‘he said, he said’ kind of thing on the lifeguard stands. That’s the nature of the job sitting there with someone for eight hours a day. That’s the lower-level stuff,” Brooks said.
“There are also things that happen from 9:30 to 5:30 that are within the purview of the city and the job,” he added. Beyond that, some of the allegations also take place after hours, involving parties and relationships between lifeguards. Some of those accusations need to be investigated, he acknowledged, “are pretty strong” and don’t take place during work hours or on city property.
Brooks said the association welcomes the investigations and people coming forward with their evidence and what they know. That, he said, is the only way there is going to be change.
“We stand ready to do whatever we can to make this a safer organization for everybody,” Brooks said. “I think we want to see it get back to the renewal of the pride we all had as alumni going back generations.”