Washington, D.C

WTOP goes out on the water with DC police’s harbor patrol – WTOP News

Published

2 years ago

July 5, 2024

WTOP goes out on the water with DC police’s harbor patrol – WTOP News

WTOP gets an inside look at the work done by D.C. police’s harbor patrol unit on one of its busiest days of the year, July Fourth.

Lt. Andrew Horos with the harbor patrol said the summertime is busy season for his time.
(WTOP/Mike Murillo)

WTOP/Mike Murillo

a harbor patrol unit officer steers — (WTOP/Mike Murillo)

a view of the washington monument from the water — Oftentimes, the unit helps boaters in need who are anchored near monuments, such as the pictured National Monument.
(WTOP/Mike Murillo)

Lt. Andrew Horos looks out at the water — (WTOP/Mike Murillo)

D.C. police’s Harbor Patrol Unit calls July Fourth its Super Bowl on the water. The holiday comes during the specialized team’s busy season.

“Spring and summer is by far our busiest,” said Lt. Andrew Horos, with the harbor patrol.

Ahead of fireworks on Independence Day, Horos said the team patrols the waters and makes sure the many boaters who anchor near the monuments are safe.

“We’re constantly working with the community to ensure safe boating practices,” Horos said.

Sometimes, the patrol lets visiting boaters know about parts of the water which might be off limits during a special event, or for other reasons. Other times, a call may involve an officer getting into scuba gear and jumping in the water to save a life.

“All the all the members on the Harbor Patrol Unit are dive certified, so they always have it ready in case there’s an operation where they have to go underwater to for whatever reason,” he said.

For rescues, Horos said many take place farther north on the Potomac, past the Chain Bridge, an area where the department patrols.

“When you get up there where there’s a lot of undertow and a lot of dangerous currents,” he said. “We have a lot of issues up there and safety issues.”

He said they get calls for people who fall into the water from boats or, in some cases, people net fishing — which is illegal in the area — will fall in while trying to free nets that get caught on the rocks.

There are also the calls for people in mental crisis who might also end up in the water.

During the hot months, another problem is drinking and boating in the heat.

“We see a lot of medical emergencies out here,” he said. “You see a lot of people consuming a lot of alcohol, not enough water.”

His advice for boaters and those riding on boats: Drink plenty of water, and operate slowly and safely in the city. Boat operators should discourage passengers from jumping into the water, especially when the sun goes down.

Finally, he said to always wear a personal flotation device. Life jackets make it easier for rescuers to see you in the water.

That advice holds even if you’re a great swimmer, he said.

“If you fall and you hurt yourself, or you become unconscious and fall into the water, you’re not going to float,” Horos said.

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Related Topics:andrew horos DC Police Featured mike murillo mpd harbor patrol unit water safety

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Washington, D.C

Thousands turn out – again – as third 'No Kings' rallies take over Maryland streets

Published

30 minutes ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Thousands turn out – again – as third 'No Kings' rallies take over Maryland streets

Thousands turned out at the dozens of No Kings rallies scattered across Maryland, part of the millions expected across the country for the third such event. In Maryland, turnout was particularly heavy in Hagerstown, near a proposed ICE detention facility.

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Washington, D.C

WATCH LIVE: No Kings march and rally in DC

Published

13 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

WATCH LIVE: No Kings march and rally in DC

WASHINGTON – Thousands are expected gather in Washington, D.C. for a “No Kings” march and rally.

Here’s everything you need to know:

What is the No Kings protest?

What we know:

Organized locally by area chapters of Indivisible and allied grassroots groups, the event aims to draw protesters to downtown Washington and surrounding counties to oppose policies of the Trump administration and to voice broader concerns about civil rights and democratic norms.

No Kings protest details

Timeline:

The march will kick off at 10 a.m., with participants gathering at Memorial Circle near Arlington Cemetery, with additional access from the Blue Line or nearby parking at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, according to the event organizers. There is no public parking in the immediate area, but participants can be dropped off at the circle.

From there, the procession will head across the Memorial Bridge into Washington, D.C., passing the Lincoln Memorial and continuing on to the Washington Monument.

At the conclusion of the march, participants can walk to a downtown rally, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Other ‘No Kings’ rallies in the DMV

Dig deeper:

In addition to the main rally in downtown D.C., several other demonstrations tied to “No Kings 3” are scheduled around the DMV this Saturday.

In Arlington, Virginia, activists are organizing a march across the Memorial Bridge beginning at 10 a.m., with protesters expected to continue into West Potomac Park before joining larger crowds in the District proper, for example.

There are hundreds of “No Kings” events scheduled to take place this Saturday throughout the DMV. You can click here to find a list of all of them.

How to watch No Kings march and rally in DC

What you can do:

FOX 5 DC will be covering No Kings in D.C. all day on FOX LOCAL and in the liveplayer at the top of this story.

FOX 5 DC is available to watch for free on Roku, Amazon FireTV, Apple TV, Google Android TV and Vizio with the FOX LOCAL app. Here’s how to download FOX LOCAL on your mobile phone.

Washington, D.C.News

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Washington, D.C

‘Strong smell’ shuts down flights at major DC-area airports for the second time this month

Published

1 day ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

‘Strong smell’ shuts down flights at major DC-area airports for the second time this month

Check out what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com.

A reported “strong smell” at a key air traffic control center disrupted flights Friday evening at major airports across the Washington, D.C., region for the second time in two weeks.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily halted flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI), Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport (CHO) and Richmond International Airport (RIC), the agency told FOX Business in an email.

The FAA said the disruptions were due to a “strong smell” at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) center, which manages airspace in the region.

GROUND STOP LIFTED AT MAJOR DC-AREA AIRPORTS AFTER CHEMICAL ODOR DISRUPTS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

An FAA air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

It was not immediately clear what caused the smell.

Ground stops at Dulles, Reagan National and BWI remained in effect until around 8 p.m. ET before being lifted, according to the FAA’s website.

NEWARK AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS LOST RADAR, RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WITH PLANES FOR OVER A MINUTE, SPARKING CHAOS

The FAA said the disruption was due to a “strong smell” at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) center. (Flightradar24)

As of 8:30 p.m., Reagan National was experiencing ground delays, while BWI continued to see departure delays.

Earlier this month, a ground stop was similarly issued at several airports in the Washington, D.C., region after a chemical odor was detected at the TRACON center.

FATAL LAGUARDIA COLLISION RENEWS FOCUS ON RUNWAY INCURSION RISKS ACROSS US

Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy speaks at a news conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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The temporary ground stop March 13 similarly affected DCA, IAD, BWI and RIC, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at the time.

Duffy said the smell came from an overheated circuit board, which has since been replaced.

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