As the
“The area lakes can get crowded at times,” Sheriff Sean Smith said. “We’re looking at a model where we’ll probably staff boats at some local lakes on heavy-presence weekends. Upper Pine (Fire Protection District) asked us to be at Vallecito for the third of July celebrations. We’ll learn those (BUI policing) skills and have some presence there.”
Because many state parks surround the county’s lakes, Boating Under the Influence enforcement is a task that typically falls to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, agency spokesperson Joe Lewandowski said. Now, the Sheriff’s Office will be able to lend a hand after training with Parks and Wildlife’s marine law enforcement division in the coming months.
On festive occasions that draw boaters to the lakes, Colorado State Patrol has agreed to lend troopers to help with patrols, Smith said.
Boating Under the Influence is a misdemeanor offense punishable by fines ranging from $200 to $1,000 and a mandatory five days in jail.
A first offense also results in a three-month suspension from operating a vessel, with a longer suspension for subsequent offenses.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife recorded 52 private boating accidents last year through Nov. 19. Eight percent, or about four, involved alcohol and/or drug consumption.
Regulations on BUIs tightened significantly eight years ago, when state law expanded to include operators of any marine vessel, as opposed to just sailboats and motorboats, and dropped the Blood Alcohol Content limit from .1 to .08.
Meanwhile, dive training kicked off this month at Navajo Lake.
The Sheriff’s Office announced late last spring it had purchased a decommissioned 2006 U.S. Coast Guard boat and would train with other law enforcement and public safety agencies to assemble a regional dive team. The initiative was partially inspired by the 2012 search for missing teenager Dylan Redwine, which included a scouring of Vallecito Reservoir that required assistance from New Mexico State Police.
Personnel from various agencies gathered Aug. 8-12 for the first round of training with New Mexico State Police. Trainees learned skills in diving safety, underwater location and underwater body-bagging. For the latter, trainees had to locate and retrieve a 180-pound dummy tied to a 5-gallon bucket of concrete.
By the end of the first training, Smith said the Sheriff’s Office will be able to make use of its 24-foot pontoon as well as the new Coast Guard defender for the most efficient rescue operations.
“Ironically, what we learned at this training is that the pontoon’s flat deck is a great platform for divers,” he said.
“That can be the one divers operate off of, and the other will be equipped to do the grid pattern searching to locate what it is we’re going after.”
Trainees will have a chance to scout and get familiar with their local lakes and waterways in future sessions, which for La Plata County might include Vallecito, Lemon, Electra, Haviland, Nighthorse and Pastorius.
Smith said about 20 deputies, officers and firefighters have shown interest in receiving some level of dive certification.
The Coast Guard vessel, which is undergoing a few upgrades, should be ready to hit the waters by next spring.
“We’re just excited the ball is rolling,” Smith said. “We’re a long way from finishing, but we’re going to be better divers.”
jpace@durangoherald.com
