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05-13-2006, 04:51 AM
Sheriff's office adds four boats to beef up safety on river
By DAVID BELL
Friday, May 12, 2006 11:06 PM MDT
News-Herald Photo/David Bell Three new Boston Whaler Justice Patrol Boats lead the Mohave County Sheriff's Office fleet on a tour of Lake Havasu.
Four new boats are patrolling the busiest waterway in Arizona.
The Mohave County Sheriff's Office debuted four new Boston Whaler Justice Patrol Boats on Lake Havasu Thursday, with three of the boats to remain on the lake. The fourth boat is headed to Lake Mead.
“These boats are just another example of our commitment to safety on the water and in our communities,” said Sheriff Tom Sheahan.
The boats were obtained entirely through grant funds obtained by the Sheriff's Office through the State Lake Improvement Fund. Sheahan credited Lt. Randy Johnson and Sgt. Doug Schuster with securing the grants. The pair put in the application in December 2004 and made the boat order in November 2005.
“We took delivery of the first boat the first week of March 2006,” said Johnson. “They expedited it so we could get our training in on the new vessels before the boating season begins.”
The Sheriff's Office now has a fleet of 12 boats on Lake Havasu, one boat to patrol the Colorado River south of Lake Mohave and two boats on Lake Mead. A total of 25 deputies from throughout the county are trained on water patrol and boat operations and are deployed to Lake Havasu for holiday and busy weekends. They're joined by 50 boating safety officers, volunteers that assist the Sheriff's Office on the water. Fifteen are stationed on Lake Mead and 35 on Lake Havasu.
“We always have at least two men on each boat for safety,” said Sheahan. “One operates the boat while the other deals with the boaters they contact. On really busy weekends, like Memorial Day, the boating safety officers will operate the patrol boat and that lets the two deputies make contact and take someone into custody if they need to.”
The new boats can hold up to 12 people, however, Johnson said deputies rarely have to take more than two into custody at one time.
Don Ellingsen, west coast account manager for Edgewater, Fla., boat manufacturer Brunswick Commercial and Government Products, said the vessels have a top speed of about 60 miles per hour and an upgraded electronics package - including sonar, radar and gps - was included in the purchase. The Sheriff's Office used other vendors to obtain the twin Mercury 220 Optimax engines on each boat, the emergency light system and radios. Total cost of the four boats was about $440,000.
“We're very pleased with the area and the people here. We like to keep them safe and allow them to complete their mission,” Ellingsen said.
In addition to the four new Whalers obtained by the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, Brunswick has supplied two Whalers to San Bernardino County, one to the Bureau of Land Management, another to Clark County in Laughlin and a 24-footer is pending to the Lake Havasu City Police.
The boating debut Thursday wasn't just a shakeout of the vessels, Brunswick used the opportunity to photograph the Sheriff's Office boats in operation for use in the company's product catalogue. Helping secure aerial photos of the boats was the Native Air helicopter.
The three Whalers staying on Lake Havasu replace two 1989 Whalers that constituted the entire flotilla for the Sheriff's Office just a few years ago. A third boat on Lake Mead also is being retired. The Sheriff's Office has donated older boats to other public safety agencies in the past, however there has been no word yet on the disposition of the newly retired vessels.
- The reporter may be contacted at dbell@havasunews.com
By DAVID BELL
Friday, May 12, 2006 11:06 PM MDT
News-Herald Photo/David Bell Three new Boston Whaler Justice Patrol Boats lead the Mohave County Sheriff's Office fleet on a tour of Lake Havasu.
Four new boats are patrolling the busiest waterway in Arizona.
The Mohave County Sheriff's Office debuted four new Boston Whaler Justice Patrol Boats on Lake Havasu Thursday, with three of the boats to remain on the lake. The fourth boat is headed to Lake Mead.
“These boats are just another example of our commitment to safety on the water and in our communities,” said Sheriff Tom Sheahan.
The boats were obtained entirely through grant funds obtained by the Sheriff's Office through the State Lake Improvement Fund. Sheahan credited Lt. Randy Johnson and Sgt. Doug Schuster with securing the grants. The pair put in the application in December 2004 and made the boat order in November 2005.
“We took delivery of the first boat the first week of March 2006,” said Johnson. “They expedited it so we could get our training in on the new vessels before the boating season begins.”
The Sheriff's Office now has a fleet of 12 boats on Lake Havasu, one boat to patrol the Colorado River south of Lake Mohave and two boats on Lake Mead. A total of 25 deputies from throughout the county are trained on water patrol and boat operations and are deployed to Lake Havasu for holiday and busy weekends. They're joined by 50 boating safety officers, volunteers that assist the Sheriff's Office on the water. Fifteen are stationed on Lake Mead and 35 on Lake Havasu.
“We always have at least two men on each boat for safety,” said Sheahan. “One operates the boat while the other deals with the boaters they contact. On really busy weekends, like Memorial Day, the boating safety officers will operate the patrol boat and that lets the two deputies make contact and take someone into custody if they need to.”
The new boats can hold up to 12 people, however, Johnson said deputies rarely have to take more than two into custody at one time.
Don Ellingsen, west coast account manager for Edgewater, Fla., boat manufacturer Brunswick Commercial and Government Products, said the vessels have a top speed of about 60 miles per hour and an upgraded electronics package - including sonar, radar and gps - was included in the purchase. The Sheriff's Office used other vendors to obtain the twin Mercury 220 Optimax engines on each boat, the emergency light system and radios. Total cost of the four boats was about $440,000.
“We're very pleased with the area and the people here. We like to keep them safe and allow them to complete their mission,” Ellingsen said.
In addition to the four new Whalers obtained by the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, Brunswick has supplied two Whalers to San Bernardino County, one to the Bureau of Land Management, another to Clark County in Laughlin and a 24-footer is pending to the Lake Havasu City Police.
The boating debut Thursday wasn't just a shakeout of the vessels, Brunswick used the opportunity to photograph the Sheriff's Office boats in operation for use in the company's product catalogue. Helping secure aerial photos of the boats was the Native Air helicopter.
The three Whalers staying on Lake Havasu replace two 1989 Whalers that constituted the entire flotilla for the Sheriff's Office just a few years ago. A third boat on Lake Mead also is being retired. The Sheriff's Office has donated older boats to other public safety agencies in the past, however there has been no word yet on the disposition of the newly retired vessels.
- The reporter may be contacted at dbell@havasunews.com