Deputies seek smooth sailing on area lakes
Tom Hasslinger | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 14 years, 5 months AGO
<p>Lee Richardson, a volunteer for Friday's training exercise, waits as Kootenai County Sheriff Deputy Chris Stangel, center, and Brett Crowley, an enforcement officer from the Nevada Department of Wildlife, checks his registration and identification during a boat inspection.</p>
<p>Mike Naumann, a training observer from the Boundary County Sheriff Department, watches as a Kootenai County Sheriff patrol boat approaches during the Marine Tactical Advantage Course held Friday near Higgens Point.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - On Lake Coeur d'Alene last year, four people died as a result of boating accidents.
Summer, unfortunately, can be a hazardous season on the water.
That's why Kootenai County Sheriff's Marine deputies, along with officers from several other agencies as far away as Nevada, are spending the weekend on the lake arresting, citing or just warning would-be rule violators.
It's part of a three-day course that the Idaho State Parks and Recreation Department began last year. It's visiting Coeur d'Alene for the first time, so around 15 deputies are practicing a number of different scenarios put on by role-playing boaters.
"We need to do it," said Bob Bjelland, Kootenai County Sheriff's Marine deputy. "We have to keep the lake safe. People go out and recreate and tend to forget that boating can be, and is, a dangerous activity and you need to keep your wits about you."
Bjelland had just cited a boater for causing too much wake in the no-wake zone, which on Coeur d'Alene extends 200 feet from shoreline. Earlier, he had taken someone in for operating under the influence, the skipper's version of the DUI.
OUIs can be a serious problem on the lake. Sheriff's deputies can pull in around 60 such misdemeanor offenders on Lake Coeur d'Alene in a summer.
"The critical part is knowing what to look for," said KCSD's Matthew Street, helping with the seminar, on the training the deputies were receiving, approaching another boat. "You have to keep your eyes up, as evidence can be thrown overboard into the water, which can make it difficult to recover."
The seminar began Thursday and runs through today.
Drug paraphernalia, and guns were also on board during the stops.
"So far we haven't gotten shot, so that's a good thing," Bjelland said.
But so were lesser infractions, like those who didn't have life jackets or fire extinguishers on deck.
Between 150 and 300 total citations are written every year on the water, Street said, and boating safety awareness can make all the difference. Awareness can also prevent many boating accidents, as there are around 20,000 registered boats in Kootenai County.
The department offers a free boating safety course each month. The six hour lesson can be booked by calling 446-2250.