OCPD PARTNERS WITH THE SANTA HOUSE HOLIDAY TOY AND FOOD DRIVE

In an effort to consolidate local holiday charity efforts, and to bring greater relief to those in need during the upcoming holiday season, the Ocean City Police Department will be partnering with the “Santa House, Inc.” (a 501(c)(3) registered charity) holiday food and toy drive.

In past years both holiday charities have been able to provide help to Worcester County and Ocean City residents in need. By incorporating the resources of the “Santa House” with the assistance of the OCPD we can improve the process by which the generous donations of our community are distributed to those in real need during the holidays.

The OCPD and the Santa House are asking that all charitable monetary donations/contributions normally made to the OCPD be directed to the “Santa House, Inc.” As in years past, all toy donations, as well as monetary donations, will be used to provide gifts and food to local families. Unwrapped, new toys may be dropped off at the Public Safety Building, located at 65th Street and Coastal Highway. These donations will be distributed through the “Santa House” charity to Ocean City and Worcester County residents in need during this upcoming holiday season.
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OCPD REMINDS CITIZENS TO BE SAFE WHILE CELEBRATING HALLOWEEN

Halloween can be a fun time of year. As all of the young trick-or-treaters dressed as witches and warlocks and party-going ghosts and goblins celebrate in the coming days, the Ocean City Police Department reminds everyone to remember to be safe this Halloween.

Trick-or-treaters are reminded of the following safety tips for a safe Halloween:

·    Never trick-or-treat alone. Always stay with a parent/guardian or friend.

·    Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags and always carry a flashlight. This will help drivers see you.

·    Never eat any treats before a parent/guardian checks them. Never eat any homemade treats made by strangers.

·    Enter homes only if you’re with a trusted adult. Only visit well-lit homes. Do not visit dark houses. Also, never accept any rides from strangers while trick-or-treating.

·    Always remember to stay on the sidewalk and only cross the street at the crosswalk. Walk Smart!

For those older ghosts and goblins that will be celebrating Halloween, remember to keep the party off the road. Remember these safety tips while celebrating:

·    Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin.

·    Before drinking, designate a sober driver.

·    If you’re impaired, take a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or us public transportation.

·    If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, do not hesitate to contact law enforcement.

·    And remember, Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk.  If you know someone who is about to drive while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

By following these simple safety tips, everyone celebrating Halloween in Ocean City will be sure to have a spooky good time!

BREAKING NEWS: This Just In

Berlin fire EMS units on the scene serious mvc with multiple rollover. Male patient with serious injuries. Flown via Trooper 4 to PRMC. Patient  in early 20's ejected.

Ocean City Police Department PFC Michael A. Levy To Unexpectedly Retire

I will be exercising my option to retire from active police service with the Ocean City Police Department effective October 31, 2013, which is ahead of my mandatory retirement of June 1, 2014.

I have accepted a teaching position with the Worcester County Board of Education which is to begin November 4, 2013. I will be taking over the “protective services” program at Worcester Technical High School replacing retiring Mr. William Gordy (Ret/MSP Sergeant) who has been educating students in this program for over seventeen years. I wish to continue the important work of teaching and mentoring high school students toward careers in the law enforcement and criminal justice career fields. Several agencies including the OCPD have full-time police officers as a result of their participation in this program. I am confident that my experiences as a civilian and military law enforcement officer and trainer will help continue to promote future law enforcement careers. 

Due to the rapid nature of my retirement, I realize that this creates certain transition issues for the department. Therefore to facilitate a smooth transition for a new Public Affairs Officer, I will remain on staff as a part-time OCPD reserve officer for an unspecified period of time. All OCPD media and public information inquiries are to be directed to the OCPD Public Affairs Specialist Lindsay O'Neal: Office: 410-520-5395 or email: loneal@oceancitymd.gov.

October Monthly Meeting WCTP

Monthly Meeting Thurs., 10/24/13 at 7 pm., Ocean Pines Community Center. 
Guest speaker:William Campbell, Candidate for Maryland State Comptroller.

The November 4, 2014 election will be one of the most important in Maryland’s history. Its results will not only determine our State’s course over the next four years, but it will set in place programs and an economic environment that will be difficult to reverse. We will choose between the continuation of policies that have stifled economic growth and increased our dependency on the Federal Government, or growing sustainable private sector jobs that will ensure future prosperity. A key factor in choosing which path we will take will depend upon who occupies the Office of Maryland State Comptroller.

Ocean City Fire Department Responds To Boardwalk Fire

On Friday, October 18, 2013, at approximately 12:30 p.m., Ocean City Communications received a call for a fire in the 600 block of Atlantic Avenue at the landmark Majestic hotel. Ocean City Fire Department personnel responded to the scene, which is located on the Ocean City boardwalk, and found fire coming from the building upon their arrival.

Witnesses told investigators that they heard a large “boom” come from the building and then reported seeing smoke. Due to the type of construction and the age of the building, a third alarm was called, however; members from the OCFD worked immediately to control the fire, which was extinguished a short time later.

The hotel is currently closed for the winter and the only known person on the premise was a maintenance worker. One fire cadet was treated on scene for a minor injury sustained during his response; however, no additional injuries were reported. The fire cadet was treated and released.

The initial investigation determined that the fire started in the basement store of the hotel. The cause of the fire, which is being handled by the Ocean City Fire Marshall’s Office, is still under investigation.

BREAKING NEW: MAJESTIC HOTEL IN OC ON FIRE

The Majestic Hotel on 6th Street and the Boardwalk has a working fire in progress. We're told this one could be very serious. 

Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Press Release

The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office along with the Ocean City Police Department, Berlin Police Department, Maryland State Police, Worcester County Health Department and Assateague Coastal Trust will be utilizing the following locations for the NDTBI (Drug Take Back Initiative) on October 26th from 10 am to 2 pm.

You can bring your unused and or expired prescription drugs to the following locations so they may be properly disposed.

These locations are as follows:

Worcester County Health Department – Pocomoke, Maryland400 A Walnut Street, Pocomoke, Maryland 21851

Worcester County Health Department – Snow Hill, Maryland6040 Public Landing Road, Snow Hill, Maryland 21863

Ocean City Fire House10124 Keyser Point Road, Ocean City, Maryland 21842

Ocean Pines Fire House (South)911 Ocean Parkway, Ocean Pines, Berlin, Maryland 21811

Ocean City Police Department6500 Coastal Highway, Ocean City, Maryland 21811

Maryland State Police – Berlin Barrack9758 Ocean Gateway, Berlin, Maryland 21811

Berlin Police Department10 Williams Street, Berlin, Maryland 21811

Station 7 In West Ocean City Successful At Liquor Board Hearing Today

After one complaint about music being too loud in the West Ocean City location the Liquor Board took away their license to play music until 1:00 AM in the beginning of the summer. 

Today a group of almost 30 people showed up in support, (I was also present) of Station 7 getting their license back and the Board unanimously agreed.

Not one person showed up to complain and many neighbors living directly next to Station 7 testified in support of allowing them to play on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 1:00 AM. 

If you've never been to this location, it's incredible. Hopefully the pictures above show just how great a job these guys did remodeling an old bar that had a 50+ year reputation of hosting a really bad crowd. All that has changed and now there's a really great restaurant/bar in West Ocean City Families go to dine and enjoy.  

Delmarva Power to Begin New Reliability Project

Rebuild of Transmission Line in Ocean City Will Enhance Electric Service Reliability

OCEAN CITY, Md. - In order to continue to provide safe, reliable electric service in Ocean City and throughout portions of Worcester and Sussex counties, Delmarva Power will begin rebuilding a high-voltage transmission line along the town’s Coastal Highway between the Maridel substation on 41st Street and the Ocean Bay substation on 85th Street.

The $10 million project to rebuild the existing 69,000 volt transmission line is scheduled to begin this week and involves the replacement of 90 wooden poles, most of which are more than 40 years old, with galvanized steel poles that require less maintenance and are built to withstand winds of up to 120 mph. Forty-five of the existing wooden poles are 65-feet tall and hold the 69,000 volt line. These poles will be replaced with 90-foot tall steel poles in order to achieve greater safety clearance from nearby buildings. The other 45 shorter, wooden distribution poles are located in between the taller poles and will be replaced with steel poles of approximately the same height.

“We have coordinated the project with the Town of Ocean City, the Maryland State Highway Administration and other utilities to minimize the amount of noise and traffic disruptions during construction,” said John Allen, Delmarva Power Region Vice President. “For safety reasons, residents should expect intermittent closure of right traffic and bus lanes in those blocks under construction.”

The rebuild of the line is targeted for completion by the end of February 2014. All post-project cleanup work will be finalized by mid-April of next year.

Find additional information by visiting www.delmarva.com, on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/delmarvapower and on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/delmarvaconnect. Our mobile app is available atwww.delmarva.com/mobileapp.

Kitchen Fire Causes Blaze on Ocean Block

On Thursday, October 10, 2013, at approximately 5 p.m., Ocean City Communications received a call for a house fire in the area of 128^th Street.  Ocean City Fire Department personnel responded to the scene, which was located on the ocean block, and found fire coming from the home upon their arrival.

According to witnesses, the fire began in the kitchen and rapidly spread through the interior of the home.  Crews from the Ocean City Fire Department worked immediately to control the fire, which was extinguished a short time later.

The occupants of the home were able to safely exit upon arrival of fire department, however a cat remained inside.  Fire Department personnel located the animal and safely returned the pet to its owners.  No injuries were reported by the occupants or the animal, who was transported to the Ocean City Animal Hospital.

“It is National Fire Prevention Week and we have been spreading the word to our residents and visitors that more fires start in the kitchen than any other part of the home,” said Ocean City Fire Department Chief Chris Larmore.  “Thankfully, no one was injured in this incident; however it is a testament to how dangerous kitchen fires can be.  We hope that by sharing this year’s fire safety campaign with our community we will be teaching residents how to prevent kitchen fires from starting in the first place.”

The cause of the fire, which was investigated by the Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office, is classified as accidental. To learn more about fire prevention week and how to prevent kitchen fires, visit http://www.firepreventionweek.org/.

Ocean City’s Winter Trash Collection Schedule Resumes On October 14

The Town of Ocean City will resume its winter trash collection schedule on Monday, October 14.  Residential trash collections will be reduced to one day per week, while commercial trash collections will be reduced to three days per week.

The trash collection schedule will be as follows:

• Residential:      (waste wheelers):
  • Monday       – Oceanside (75th Street to 146th Street); bayside (75th Street to 135th       Street).
  • Tuesday       – All areas (Inlet to 74th Street); bayside (136th Street to 146th       Street).
• Commercial:      (Front-end and 300-gallon containers)
  • Monday,       Wednesday, Friday: All areas.

This trash collection schedule will be in effect until May 11, 2014.  For more information about the Town of Ocean City’s Solid Waste Division, please visit: http://oceancitymd.gov/Public_Works/solidwaste.html.

Ocean City Fire Department On Scene Of Active Fire

The Ocean City Fire Department is actively fighting a fire on 128th Street, ocean side building fire. 

Vehicle Flips Over In West Ocean City

A Vehicle overturned on Rt. 50 near Taylor Marine. One person was removed via Medovac and I believe three other people were injured as well.

Coast Guard Rescues 2 Boaters From Capsized Sailboat

The Coast Guard rescued two boaters from a capsized sailboat Monday in the St. Martin River near Ocean City.

A good Samaritan noticed an overturned sailboat and called Coast Guard Station Ocean City watchstanders at approximately 12:30 p.m. to make a report.

A boat crew aboard a 24-foot Special Purpose Craft was launched and arrived on scene within approximately 15 minutes of the notification.
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Road Closure In Berlin

Worcester County Sheriff's Office

Please be aware that on Friday October 4th the intersection of Seahawk Road and Flower St in Berlin MD will be closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic from 5:30pm until 10:00pm. This is for SDHS's Homecoming football game which involves firework displays throughout the event. Please choose an alternate route during this time frame.

Worcester County Sheriff's Office Press Release

On October 1, 2013 at approximately 1607 hours Worcester County Sheriff`s Office Deputies responded to Stephen Decatur High School, for a report of a registered sex offender on school grounds. 

Upon arrival Deputies located the suspect, identified as Robert Clayton Landis 67 of Berlin Md. Mr. Landis was found inside the gated field stadium during an active school soccer game. Mr. Landis is a Tier II registered sex offender and he was forbidden from being on the property of any school, primary and/or secondary education. 

Mr. Landis was arrested and later taken before a district court commissioner. Mr. Landis was released on a $10,000.00 unsecured bond.