COEUR d’ALENE — The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office underwater team recently upgraded with a new SONAR system for $84,000.

They wasted putting it to work after being deployed to Flathead Lake in Montana to search for a drowning victim. 

“We ripped open the boxes then immediately began using it,” Sgt. Ryan Odegaard said.

The team faced a more relaxed test of the new equipment Wednesday at Higgens Point and how it picked up images through the SONAR of sunken boats on the bottom of Lake Coeur d’Alene.   

“It's absolutely crucial, we can’t search for people under the water at a certain depth without this system,” Miller said. 

The department will also be receiving a Deep Trekker, which means safer and more effective search and recoveries.

Sgt. Ryan Miller said after two planes crashed in the lake in 2020, the Kootenai County SONAR team was able to reach the wreckage.  

“Once you get down to 127 feet of water it’s very difficult to do, once you get to that depth, the divers can’t see anything, it’s pitch black,” Miller said.  

The new system helps locate wreckage and victims from the surface. Then, the team can send in their robot to recover items. 

“Our robot can go down and recover the item that we’re looking at and bring it up to a suitable depth,” Miller said. 

Improvements in technology have assisted with the price tag. 

“It actually got a little more affordable for us,” Miller said, adding that the cost for the original robot has dropped from $150,000 to $52,000.  

The Deep Trekker Robot Vehicle is expected to arrive in a few weeks to round out the new marine patrol search equipment. 

The SONAR system was funded by the Mahogany Boaters Education Association nonprofit for $40,000 of the total cost and then $22,000 came from boat registration funds in the KCSO Vessel Account and $22,000 came from the Kootenai County General Fund. 

The SONAR team trains once a month to be ready when needed to spring into action. 

“There's a lot of water out here and to send divers, you’re going to be guessing where you’re searching," Miller said. "With this system, it allows us to use technology sound waves to give us pretty good pictures of what’s under the lake."

    A submerged ship off the shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene is visible using the Kootenai County Sheriff's sonar equipment.

    Sgt. Ryan Miller of the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office explains how the marine patrol's new equipment will be used in searches.
  

    The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office tested out new sonar equipment Wednesday on Lake Coeur d'Alene.     Kootenai County Sheriff's Marine Patrol tested out new sonar equipment Wednesday on Lake Coeur d'Alene.