The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department - Marine Enforcement Unit conducted it's 2018 Labor Day Holiday Weekend Operation starting on August 31, 2018, through September 3, 2018. The operation was conducted along the Colorado River from the California/Nevada state line to the Riverside County line as well as Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead.
The majority of the operation focused on the waterways with resorts, launch ramps and marinas along the river and lakes. A total of eleven patrol vessels, an OHV team, the Sheriff's Dive Team, and a helicopter from the Sheriff's Department – Aviation Division were deployed throughout the areas.
The Marine Enforcement Unit conducted a total of 64 enforcement stops throughout the holiday weekend. There was a total of ten arrests made, nine of which were for Boating Under the Influence and one for Public Intoxication. Twenty-six citations were issued for various boating law violations along with countless verbal warnings.
The Marine Enforcement Unit investigated two boating collisions varying from minor to major injury and assisted the Mohave County Sheriff's Department with a fatal boating collision near the Topock Marina on the Colorado River. As a result of the crash, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department assisted in conducting searches utilizing patrol vessels, a helicopter, and the dive team for several days.
The Marine Enforcement Unit urges all California residents to go online to californiaboatercard.com and take the online test to obtain their boater card which is now required by law. The Marine Enforcement Unit is, as always, dedicated to providing a safe boating atmosphere for the public and reminds everyone to wear their life vests and to boat sober.