Since March, officers from Fuerza Publica (the national police force of Costa Rica) assigned to the Caribbean port city of Limon have been conducting nighttime beach patrols for the purpose of bringing protection to the sea turtles that massively arrive during nesting season.

When the officers working the night shift attend roll call and receive their patrol briefing, some of them are assigned to look for wanted suspects or missing persons while others are assigned to roadway checkpoints around the docks; some officers dread being assigned to walk the beat in some of the most violent neighborhoods while others look forward to nighttime beach patrol at sea turtle nesting sites.

According to Allan Obando, Director of Fuerza Publica in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica, the beaches near downtown Limon are patrolled by officers at night when biologists from the National Coast Guard Service officially declare that nesting season has begun.

Seasoned officers who work with biologists have learned to identify troublesome spots for nesting, and this is where they begin their nighttime search. Nesting season for Caribbean leatherbacks in Costa Rica usually starts around mid-to-late February and continues through June. When the officers locate a nest that may be at risk, they contact Coast Guard biologists, who in turn take the eggs to a nursery they operate so that the baby sea turtles can safely hatch and later be released.

Although the nighttime beach patrols may sound like a relaxing assignment, there are risks involved for the officers; mostly due to belligerent poachers and inebriated revelers who inadvertently choose a nesting spot to sleep it off. For this reason, the officers carry their sidearms while one of them pulls extra security armed with an AR-15 tactical rifle. To avoid making the sea turtles nervous, only one radio and one flashlight are used sparingly.

From March to April, officers in Limon arrested four poachers, guarded 40 nesting leatherbacks, and transferred 500 eggs to the Coast Guard nursery. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, a similar sea turtle nursery is operated by Fuerza Publica in the Central Pacific Coast, but on a volunteer basis.