In the wake of a police chase through Hearst Castle grounds, park employees want more security measures 

Confusion, fear, and panic engulfed Hearst Castle when a suspect stole a car and led law enforcement on a chase through the state park that ended with the suspect barricading himself in one of the cottages on the hill.

Although the suspect, identified as Jarrod Michael Crockrom, was eventually apprehended by officers with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office, California State Parks, and California Highway Patrol, some Hearst Castle employees felt that there weren't enough security measures in place and that this situation could have escalated had the suspect been armed.

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• File Photo By Camillia Lanham
• BREAK IN Hearst Castle employees sheltered in place on Feb. 26 as Jarrod Michael Crockrom allegedly led police on a chase through the state park, eventually barricading himself in one of the castle's cottages.

According to one Hearst Castle employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, the Feb. 26 incident showed them that State Parks doesn't care about the well-being of employees.

"I'm willing to admit, unfortunately, the state doesn't care about me as a person. They don't care about my colleagues. They care about revenue," the employee said. "And that's where I'd become not a disgruntled employee but a concerned employee."

One of the things staff members are concerned about is a lack of law enforcement officers, firefighters, and medical personnel stationed in the park. While Hearst Castle does have security guards in addition to park rangers, the employee said that the security guards—also known as "day security"—are not qualified to handle incidents like the one that occurred on Feb. 26.

"They're there to tell you not to stand on the Persian rug. Don't sit on that 16th century table," the employee said. "They're there to protect the monument, not necessarily the individual."

Had there been more of a law enforcement presence on castle grounds the day of the break-in, this entire event could have been prevented, the employee said.

According to Dan Falat—superintendent of State Parks' San Luis Obispo Coast District, which includes Hearst Castle—the total number of rangers assigned to the park at any one time varies. He said that during the incident, approximately 12 law enforcement officers were on scene as well as fire and medical personnel.

Currently, Hearst Castle is working to hire more fire personnel, after the last firefighter stationed on-site retired in November 2022, according to Falat. Having fire personnel on-site is something that the two employees who spoke to New Times feel is necessary due to how long it takes for emergency personnel to respond to calls from Hearst Castle.

On Feb. 26, the Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a stolen vehicle from the Cambria Community Services District on Rodeo Grounds Road in Cambria. As officers were taking the report, according to Sheriff's Office spokesperson Tony Cipolla, State Park rangers notified officers that they had located the stolen vehicle and were in pursuit. Falat said the vehicle was seen near Leffingwell Landing, a day-use area off Moonstone Drive in Cambria. The suspect then drove north on Highway 1 toward Hearst Castle, with law enforcement in pursuit.

Falat said that the stolen car burst through two separate gates—the first gate near the visitors center, which is when the emergency siren went off for the first time in 20 years, then the second gate closer to the castle. When the suspect hit a dead-end road, Falat said he barricaded himself in one of the guest cottages.

"There was an evacuation as well as shelter-in-place that was throughout the entire incident," Falat said. "You know, depending on where the employees were and where the public was. Wherever the security breaches [are] depends on what actions are called, but that kind of security and emergency protocols started from the moment it was breached."

The two employees who spoke to New Times felt that staff could've been notified of what was happening once the suspect turned off Highway 1 toward the Hearst Castle entrance. However, Falat said that there was no need to sound the alarm before the suspect breached the first gate. He added that Hearst Castle's dispatch center did an "outstanding job" of coordinating with law enforcement and park staff to manage a chaotic situation.

The Feb. 26 incident was the first time someone had breached Hearst Castle grounds during public hours, according to Falat, who added that there have been incidents in the past where people have intruded onto castle grounds during off-hours.

"[Intruders have] been located and found [at] various points, whether it's down here at the visitor's center, or even potentially have reached the outer gate, usually on foot or something like that. But those haven't happened in quite some time. I don't even recall the last time that occurred," Falat said.

The last time Hearst Castle used its emergency sirens was in 2003 during the San Simeon earthquake. Incidents involving emergency sirens are rare, due to Hearst Castle having round-the-clock security, radio and cellphone communications, and 24/7 on-duty security staff. Falat said that he thought the staff did an excellent job responding to the February incident.

"From a security standpoint ... does it mean we can improve? Yes. We can always improve if it's warranted and justified," Falat said. "Those warning protocols are critical to ensuring effective communication to everybody throughout the castle."

Another Hearst Castle employee, who also requested anonymity, said that employees don't get enough emergency situation training, adding that the last training staff received was in 2020.

"We have a whole lot of new staff because we lost a lot of people during COVID. So we have a whole lot of new people that have never received that training," the employee said. "I think it's a little negligent on their part not to have this kind of training at least once a year."

Falat said that every employee goes through safety training as part of their hiring process, adding that he spoke to staff and visitors after the incident to ensure that staff was aware of the security procedures in place.

"We're evaluating that and any corrections that need to be made," he said.

Falat also told New Times that employee safety training is the responsibility of each employee's supervisor, adding that training is supposed to be done annually with staff, but it can be difficult to do with rotating staff and being open 363 days a year. He said that the park is still evaluating ways to improve in the wake of this incident, which includes reviewing protocols to make sure all employees are aware of what to do in an emergency or medical situation.

"We've had a lot of—we've had some new guides, and if anything, I think the testament to how well [the training program] worked is proof based upon the incident itself," Falat said. Δ

Contact Staff Writer Shwetha Sundarrajan at [email protected].