(Wahpeton)– The Iowa Great Lakes Water Safety Council today (Friday) officially presented the keys to a brand new patrol boat to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Lakes Patrol.
The new 25-foot Baja Intruder is specifically designed for law enforcement purposes. It will be headquartered along with other patrol boats at the Lake Patrol Station at Gull Point on West Lake Okoboji.
Phil Petersen of the Water Safety Council says mechanical breakdowns last summer resulted in a shortage of patrol boats. He says that’s what led up to the group’s decision to purchase a boat for the D-N-R.
Petersen says the council also purchased several amenities for the new patrol boat, including a special two-way radio capable of communicating with rescue squads, ambulances and various law enforcement agencies; a marine radio; a global positioning satellite device; sonar; a trailer for winter storage; and a hydraulic hoist. The entire package cost approximately 80-thousand dollars.
Having the new boat brings the Lakes Patrol fleet to five large boats. DNR Enforcement Officer Gary Owen says in the past they had to supplement enforcement operations with smaller profile boats that are difficult to operate in inclimant weather.
The Water Safety Council was a major player in a bill that passed the legislature that will increase boat registration fees effective in 2007. The increased revenue will be used to enhance enforcement of water safety laws and to purchase additional patrol boats, along with helping prevent the spread of invasive species to lakes and rivers.
