EVANSVILLE — Tradition may have called for champagne, but Mayor Stephanie Terry reached for a bottle of Ski when it came time to christen Evansville’s new river patrol boat.
The christening of the River Wolf — a custom-built vessel powered by twin 200-horsepower Mercury saltwater engines — marked the arrival of Vanderburgh County’s first dedicated law enforcement presence on the Ohio River in more than 25 years, officials said during an unveiling Friday morning.
The Evansville Police Department and the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office will jointly operate the patrol unit, covering roughly 36 miles of shoreline within the county, including the Port of Evansville.
“This joint initiative marks a significant step forward in public safety,” Sheriff Noah Robinson said.
Robinson said the patrol is aimed at deterring criminal activity, improving boater safety and providing a secure environment for residents and visitors along the Ohio River.
The boat was built to specification in Louisiana, sea-trialed in the Gulf of Mexico and then transported north to Vanderburgh County. It is equipped with side-scanning sonar to assist in underwater search operations — technology that could prove critical in recovery efforts along one of the nation’s busiest inland waterways.
The city and county secured funding for the vessel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard Port Security partnership. A separate grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement will fund the overtime costs of operating the boat on the river.
The Joint River Patrol Unit will draw from a pool of approximately 18 personnel — roughly nine sheriff’s deputies, led by a supervising sergeant, and roughly nine officers from the Evansville Police Department. All will serve on an overtime basis while keeping their current assignments.
The unit is expected to operate throughout the boating season from Memorial Day through Labor Day, as well as during summer holidays, special events and other law enforcement operations as needed.
Officials said personnel assigned to the unit have already undergone training with Indiana Conservation Officers in boating enforcement and participated in joint water operations exercises alongside Louisville Metro Police, the Jeffersonville Police Department and Perry and Marrs Township fire departments.
Vanderburgh County will host the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators Tactical Boat Operator Course in May, further preparing crews ahead of the unit’s first full season on the water.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville police, sheriff launch first Ohio River patrol in 25 years
Reporting by Houston Harwood, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
