(Wahpeton)– Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Lakes Patrol say they’ll have an increased presence on the Iowa Great Lakes this season during weekends.
Enforcement Officer Gary Owen says they’ve set up a system under which additional officers from several different areas of the state will be brought into the Iowa Great Lakes. Currently, Owen says the D-N-R has water patrol positions in North Twin, Black Hawk and Storm Lake. Owen says they’ve worked out a system under which an officer from each location will come to the lakes area every third weekend to work a Friday night or Saturday night shift. Owen says that will allow them to have two boats on the water during the late hours on weekends. Currently, he says they try to man from 6:00 or 7:00 a.m. until the early evening.
The D-N-R has been criticized in the past by many who said not enough Lakes Patrol officers were on duty during peak times.
