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An "Amazing" Day for Ocean City Police Officers in Washington, D.C.

The 10 Ocean City police officers who made the trip to Washington, D.C., pose for a group photo on Pennsylvania Avenue with the Capitol building serving as a backdrop in the distance. (Courtesy of Officer Brandon Smith.

Sgt. Jack Davis has a deep interest in history. This time, he was actually part of history.

Davis and nine other officers with the Ocean City Police Department were among the massive national law enforcement presence for President Donald Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C., giving them a close-up view of history in the making.

Bundled up for protection from the extreme cold, they stood along Pennsylvania Avenue to help provide security for Trump’s motorcade as the president drove by them just feet away.

“It felt a little extra special for me because I like history,” Davis said in an interview Friday. “It’s really cool to be at any inauguration, but I thought it was extra special being at the inauguration for only the second U.S. president in history who had served nonconsecutive terms. That hasn’t happened since the 1800s, since Grover Cleveland, so I thought this is history, literally history, which I thought was amazing. It was really cool to be part of that.”

Davis even got a brief glimpse of the president’s profile as he passed by on Pennsylvania Avenue.

The other Ocean City officers who went to Washington included Grace Fox, Lexi Sharp, Brandon Smith, Lou DiLuzio, Brett Campbell, Jonathon Monzo, Randy Clark, Paul Stryker and Doug Alcott.

Alcott, a 22-year-old rookie, was just as amazed as the 36-year-old Davis, a 13-year police veteran, to be part of such a monumental event.

“It was surprising that I was actually there in D.C. working that event, coming from Ocean City. Just being a part of it was a great feeling,” Alcott said. “Getting to experience something like this at so early in my career and being selected made me feel special.”

    Ocean City police officers stand along Pennsylvania Avenue to protect President Donald Trump's motorcade on Inauguration Day. (Courtesy of Officer Brandon Smith)
 
 

Members of the Ocean City Police Department who wanted to be considered for the inauguration signed up and had their names selected in a lottery system.

They arrived in Washington on Saturday, Jan. 18, were sworn in as federal marshals and then went through eight hours of training on Sunday conducted by the Secret Service and U.S. Marshal’s Office.

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“They basically just explained to us what you’re allowed and not allowed to do with interaction with people and what they expect from you,” Davis said. “Basically, they informed us they expected us to be their eyes for the crowd – just be constantly surveilling people, windows and rooftops.”

“If you saw anything, you would flag a Homeland Security agent and then they would usually address the issue or investigate whatever your flag was. That was our main job, just to basically hold that barrier on Pennsylvania Avenue,” he added.

On Inauguration Day, the Ocean City officers left their hotel at the early hour of 4 a.m. and were on post along Pennsylvania Avenue, near 11th Street, at 6:30 a.m. They remained on duty to provide security and crowd control until around 7 p.m. – a grueling, 12½-hour stint outdoors in freezing conditions.

“Hand-warmers and foot-warmers kept me going the whole day,” Alcott said. “I had probably every jacket issued to me on and a couple of layers of thermals, so I was pretty warm.”

The frigid weather forced the inauguration ceremony to be held inside the Capitol rotunda.

    Their "OCPD" caps and face coverings help protect the officers from the extreme cold during their security duty outdoors. (Courtesy of Officer Brandon Smith)
 
 

Fortunately, the officers were given breaks to duck inside temporary warming centers that were set up along Pennsylvania Avenue in retail shops closed for the inauguration.

“The federal government and the Metropolitan Police do an incredible job,” Davis said. “They have what they call warming stations. They have them all throughout the city and very close to wherever your post is, so we had one (in a department store).”

“They gave us food and water and then they had little hand-warmers, so it was just a warm place to go for a few minutes on break. They were able to rotate us in there a couple of times on our shift, which was nice. They did a really nice job with the logistics of setting it up for everybody,” he continued.

Altogether, there were about 3,800 officers from law enforcement agencies across the country that took part in the intricate security arrangements, Alcott said.

Davis and Alcott said they saw other officers from the Jersey Shore at the inauguration, including members of the North Wildwood, Wildwood and Lower Township police departments in Cape May County, Longport police department in Atlantic County and troopers from the New Jersey State Police.

Ocean City’s officers were partnered with other law enforcement agencies to form one of the units that helped to protect the president’s motorcade.

“We just acted like one big team,” Alcott said. “It was like we all knew each other forever. It was really awesome. That was one of my favorite parts, working hand-in-hand with other agencies from all over the country.”

From a logistics standpoint, Davis found it incredible that so many different law enforcement groups could be pulled together for one purpose.

“It was really cool. The main thing is, it’s just so amazing. It’s hard to describe. There were the little things, not just being excited about looking at the president. I appreciate the logistics of how much it took for them to put that together,” he said.

    Sgt. Jack Davis, right, and Officer Doug Alcott were amazed to be part of the inauguration.


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