Ocean Pines, Maryland is a planned waterfront community of over 8,000 homes located near the Atlantic Ocean and Bays on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Ocean Pines is located just a few miles west of Ocean City, Maryland. Ocean Pines offers many community amenities, including golfing, swimming pools nature trails, boating, fishing, community center, library, and more.
The community began as a retirement resort in 1968 and today is the largest residential community in Worcester County, with a diverse demographic and award-winning reputation. Ocean Pines has its own police department, fire department, water system, public works department, and amenities that are managed by the homeowner’s association, Ocean Pines Association, Inc.
Ocean Pines Safety
Ocean Pines has been recognized as the 10th best place to retire and 1st best place to retire by the beach by the online media group Bizjournals.
Per the National Council for Home Safety and Security, Maryland’s safest city is Ocean Pines, an affluent resort community of over 12,000 in Worcester County. Ocean Pines’ low crime rates place it in a league of its own among Maryland cities: the city earned a 1.14 per 1,000 violent crime rate in 2019, which is one-quarter of the statewide rate. Additionally, the city’s property crime rate of 4.25 per 1,000 is less-than-a-third of the next-lowest in the state. The council combined data from the most recent FBI crime reports, along with population data and their own research. Visit https://www.alarms.org/safest-cities-in-maryland/ to learn more.
Safety Departments
Ocean Pines Police Department
Ocean Pines has a state certified, full-service police agency that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The department protects life and property, preserves the peace, and enforces all state and county laws, including traffic laws, in a fair and impartial manner. All sworn officers attend 26 weeks of intensive police training at the Eastern Shore Criminal Justice Academy in Salisbury, Maryland. Upon graduation, all officers are certified by the Maryland Police Training Commission.
The Police Dept. has an effective bicycle patrol program. Officers participating in the program are certified by the International Police Mountain Bike Association cyclist program. The Police Dept. sponsors a bicycle safety program for youngsters, which provides a free bike safety helmet for all participants.
“Ocean Pines is the safest community for its size in Maryland. This is one of the best reasons to live in our community. When people re-locate or purchase property in Ocean Pines, public safety is one of their primary concerns.”
Chief of Police David Massey, Ed. D.
You will see our mission statement on all of our police vehicles. In these trying times of pandemic and civil unrest, your Police Department has been performing its DUTY, protecting life and property within Ocean Pines. We believe in Honor, and treating all individuals we come in contact with dignity and respect. When our residents call for help and assistance, we will be there for them. When it is necessary, we will arrest or cite those individuals who threaten others or put you at risk. Our Community is the reason for our existence. Keeping Ocean Pines safe and an attractive place to live and work. We shall never cease to strive to make Ocean Pines the safest community for its size in the State of Maryland. That is why our officers patrol our community 24 hours a day, 365 days in the year. We will not train our officers in unsafe arrest tactics, nor appear in para-military garb. That is not why we are here. We are here to protect and serve YOU, with dignity and honor. To make you proud of us.”
Ocean Pines Fire Department
Back in April of 1973, a group of retired citizens living in the Ocean Pines community joined together to form the Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department using an old white fire engine, used for wetting down dirt roads in new developments. During their first year as a fire department, they responded to a total of 12 calls for service. Today, the department operates 2 Class A pumpers, a Heavy Rescue engine, a 104′ tower ladder, a rescue boat, a special operations unit, a utility vehicle, 3 command vehicles and 3 state of the art ALS equipped ambulances. The department currently has approximately 50 members that respond to calls for fire, rescue, or EMS needs. The department supplements volunteer response with 15 employees consisting of 12 full time Firefighter/ Paramedics, 1 part time Firefighter/ EMT-B, 1 full time Administrative Assistant and a full time Career EMS Captain. In the year 2019, the OPVFD responded to a total of 2060 calls for service, consisting of 1762 EMS calls and 298 Fire calls.
Local Safety Services Offered
Neighborhood Watch
Ocean Pines has an active Neighborhood Watch program that supplements the Police Dept.’s crime prevention efforts. If you desire to participate in this worthwhile program, please contact the Chief of Police for further information.
Animal Control
Pets must be kept under the owner’s control at all times. Also, please pick up after your pets. All dogs found running at large by the Police Dept. will be impounded and their owners shall be subject to a service charge. Dogs not claimed at the Police Dept. within three days of impoundment are sent to the Worcester County Animal Control Center located in Snow Hill, Maryland. Worcester County Animal Control is the primary responder to animal calls for service. The telephone number is 410-632-1340 weekdays only. Worcester County mandates that all dogs off of private property in Ocean Pines must be on leashes or the owner is subject to a fine under County Ordinance.
Abandoned Autos
The Police Dept. works closely with the Ocean Pines Architectural Review Committee and Worcester County to assure that abandoned autos do not accumulate within the community.
Vacant House Checks
If you are going to be away from your home for more than 30 days, stop by the Police Dept. to request that your house is placed on the vacant house check list.
Residence checks are a service provided by the police department on a weekly basis, whenever possible, for residences which will be vacant for 30 days or longer.
Traffic Rules & Regulations
The speed limit on Ocean Parkway is 35 M.P.H. and all other streets are 25 M.P.H. For safety purposes, please use your headlights when driving in Ocean Pines at all hours. All police officers are radar certified and routinely operate radar to enforce the posted speed limits.
Walking and Running
Ocean Pines offers safe trail running or walking around the fresh-water fishing lake in Bainbridge Park. In addition, wide roads and shoulders create safe running and walking conditions.
Operation Drug Box
Unused medications, if not properly disposed of, can find their way into the community, posing a health threat to families, especially small children who often ingest medications mistaking them for candy. Unused medications also pose a safety threat to the community if narcotic, or controlled prescriptions, find their way into the wrong hands. This project is sponsored by the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI) and funded by the Ocean City Elks Lodge Drug Awareness Program. Properly disposed medications keep our communities safe and our waterways healthy.
The Ocean Pines permanent drug drop box is located in the front lobby of the Ocean Pines Police Department (239 Ocean Parkway, Ocean Pines, MD) available to the public 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For info, call 410.641.7747 / email Police@oceanpines.org.
To learn more about Ocean Pines, the Eastern Shore, and other concierge level secrets, contact Mechelle Nichols, Luxury Collection Specialist, at 410.430.1575 (cell) or mnichols@LuxuryShoreLiving.com.
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