HALL COUNTY, Ga. — With boating season ramping up on Lake Lanier, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office is beginning its daily summer patrols with a new tool to keep people safe.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Officers have a new, 29-foot boat equipped with sonar, radar and thermal-imaging cameras. It’s also equipped with an air-conditioned cabin, making it easier for officers to spend long days in the sun and in the rain.
“When it’s raining, we’re still out here,” said Sgt. Jeff Moore, who’s one of the officers on the marine patrol unit that will be on the lake seven days a week until October.
“We’re not out here to ruin anybody’s good time,” Moore said. “But we want to make sure everybody’s being safe. You get a lot of people renting boats that aren’t experienced renting boats.”
He said his mission is not to write citations, but to educate people about the rules of the water. Officers will be looking out for boaters who are driving recklessly and have been drinking too much.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources reported 75 boating under the influence citations on Lake Lanier last year. It also reported 17 boating incidents with 18 injuries, in addition to six drownings.
However, they’re also looking out for boaters driving too fast in no-wake zones and making sure there’s a personal flotation device for everyone onboard the boat.
TRENDING STORIES:
- ‘It’s happened again’: Horrific crash reminds mother of deadly wreck at same spot 10 years ago
- Teenager survives after grandmother shields him from car
- Georgia apartments wouldn’t move terminally ill child to ground floor; now they’re paying $750K
Officers are urging extra caution this year because of low water levels caused by the drought. The lake is 5.2 feet below full pool, which has exposed more shoreline and submerged trees.
“This lake used to be a town, and there are structures under here, trees under here, and it’s obviously dangerous for vessels, dangerous for swimmers,” Moore said.
But despite the low water levels, he stressed that the lake is safe for boating.
“A 100%. It’s still safe as long as you’re paying attention,” he said.
The lakebed is studded with trees that were drowned when the lake was impounded in the 1950s, and many newcomers are unaware.
“They just need to know that it’s not haunted, as some people say, but there still are some dangers that they need to be aware of,” said B.J. Williams, a sheriff’s spokesperson.
The sheriff’s office used $280,000 in asset forfeiture funds – money seized from local criminal activities – to buy the 29-foot boat from Fluid Marine in North Carolina. It’s powered by twin Mercury engines and equipped with high-performance marine electronics.
“This boat, really, it’s been a game changer for all of us,” Moore said.
Officers will continue to use the old boat for backup on lake patrols, especially on busy summer weekends.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]