After 6 years, Lake County Sheriff's Marine Unit resumes patrols on Lake Michigan

After six years, the Lake County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit is once again patrolling Lake Michigan.
Daily Herald file, 2023

After six years, the Lake County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit is once again patrolling Lake Michigan.

According to the sheriff's office, its marine unit was unable to patrol the more than 900 square miles of Lake Michigan under its jurisdiction because it did not have a boat capable of safely operating on Lake Michigan.

There have also been numerous calls in past seasons that the sheriff's marine unit was unable to respond to because it did not have a boat capable of operating safely on Lake Michigan, according to information provided by the sheriff's office to county officials in February.

The Fluid Watercraft Inflatable Patrol Boat has two 225 horsepower motors and can carry 14 passengers.
Courtesy of the Lake County Sheriff's Office

“We basically had to hitch a ride with other agencies and depend on their availability and ability to get out,” said Marine Unit Sgt. Ari Briskman told a Lake County Board committee in March. The board authorized a bid waiver with Sirocco Marine in Franklinton, North Carolina, for two marine patrol vessels totaling $467,060.

The new Lake Michigan vessel is an inflatable, free-flowing water patrol boat with two 225-horsepower engines and can carry 14 passengers. It has been operational since the start of the boating season and is capable of responding to emergencies within the nautical limits of Lake County.

The Sheriff's Office maintains an ongoing partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police and will coordinate patrols with both agencies, according to a news release.

Members of both agencies will be able to respond with the sheriff's marine unit to emergencies on the new watercraft, which will be operated by sheriff's personnel licensed as U.S. Coast Guard captains.

The new boat is named for Lake Count Sheriff's Deputy Gary D. Murphy, who was killed in the line of duty in June 1976. It is stored on a secure dock donated to the North Point Marina in Winthrop Harbor, when not in use.

“Response time in an emergency is crucial and having a sheriff's boat will increase the chances of saving lives during search and rescue missions,” said Sheriff John Idleburg.

The bidding exemptions were allowed because customizations required for the patrol could not be obtained through an available cooperative agreement, according to the resolution approved by the County Council.

Each of the replaced boats was more than 30 years old and had become unusable, according to information provided to the departmental council.

The second will be used on the Chain 'O Lakes.

The sheriff's marine unit consists of six boats. Replacements were needed for several years but were delayed due to budget constraints and competing priorities, according to the county board-approved resolution authorizing the purchase.