Marine patrol set for summer watercraft, holiday traffic
REGION – With warmer temperatures and increased watercraft traffic, Antrim County's Marine Patrol, a division of the Antrim County Sheriff's Office, is on the waters of the Chain Of Lakes to ensure that everyone enjoying the water stays safe.
They will be joined by deputies from the Kalkaska Sheriff’s Office, along with officers from the Department of Natural Resources and Michigan State Police over the upcoming holiday week.
"Currently, we've got eight deputies working five boats on Torch Lake, Elk Lake, Lake Bellaire, and Intermediate Lake and the upper lakes, as well as Clam Lake, Six Mile Lake, Skegemog Lake and the connecting rivers," said Antrim County Outdoor Recreation Officer Scott Boni last week.
To make sure a law enforcement presence is always on the lakes during daylight hours, all of the officers work a minimum of three days a week, with an emphasis on weekend days when watercraft traffic is heaviest, Boni said.
"We try to put officers out on the lakes according to the weather. On good weather days, there will be more of a presence than there will be on cloudy, cooler days when there isn't much traffic on the lakes," he added.
"But I'm on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and I could call in other officers if they are needed," he stated.
Each officer completes regular patrols of their area during a day on water.
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