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Report prepared by Lake George Park Commission Director of Law Enforcement Lt. Joe Johns

Table of Contents

I. The Mission of the Marine Patrol Introduction, Officer Training and Credentials, Patrol Operations and Priorities, Equipment Upgrades

II. Law Enforcement and Public Safety PWC Enforcement, Log Bay Day, Civil Enforcement Program, Sanitary, Invasive Species

III. Public Assists and Education Boater Education, Recovered Property

IV. Real Stories from the Marine Patrol

V. Patrol Changes in Personnel (Retirements and Promotions)

VI. Acknowledgements

2015 Patrol Roster

Contacting the Patrol

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I. The Mission of the Marine Patrol

Introduction Patrolling the waters of Lake George since 1962, the Lake George Park Commission’s Marine Patrol successfully completed 54 years of continuous service in 2016. Through the years, the Marine Patrol has built up a solid record of service dedicated to the protection of Lake George and its users.

The primary mission of the Marine Patrol is to promote the safe and enjoyable use of Lake George. The Marine Patrol accomplishes this primarily by protecting and educating the public. The Patrol also plays a key role in protecting the valuable natural resource of Lake George. The Marine Patrol provides a wide array of services to the boating public. These include assisting stranded boaters, emergency response and first aid, fire suppression, search and rescue, removal of hazards, recovery of lost property and boater safety training.

Additionally, the Marine Patrol enforces the New York State Navigation Law, Environmental Conservation Law, Lake George Park Commission Rules and Regulations, and all other laws.

The Patrol has a very large and diverse area to cover. At 32 miles long, Lake George presents these officers with over 50 square miles of patrol area, including 176 miles of shoreline and 245 islands. Lake George exists within many localities; three counties (Warren, Washington, and Essex), eight townships (Lake George, Bolton, Hague, Ticonderoga, Putnam, Dresden, Fort Ann, and Queensbury) and one village (Lake George) all of which touch the lake and have a vested interest in it.

The enforcement programs of the Commission are coordinated by the Director of Law Enforcement, a marine patrol lieutenant. This position allows the Director of Law Enforcement the opportunity to work closely with the patrol on a daily basis while maintaining consistent enforcement of the Commission’s regulations throughout the Lake George Basin.

Training

This year’s in-service training focused on identifying and testing operators suspected of being intoxicated. Above officers listen to NYS Parks instructors and practice testing

procedures.

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Patrol Operations

Equipment Upgrades In 2016, NYS Parks through their vessel loaner program issued two 2016 Sea-Doo PWCs to the Commission as patrol vessels. Parks also issued a new 2016 Boston Whaler Guardian to the patrol. This new vessel is equipped with nighttime radar, remote spotlight, tow bar, wrap around curtains and a dive door.

The Patrol would like to thank NYS Parks for their continued support of the LGPC Marine Patrol.

II. Law Enforcement and Public Safety

Above are the new additions to the patrol in 2016, both compliments of NYS Parks

The Patrol season began on April 21st and ran

through November 15th. Beginning on July 1st, the Marine Patrol operated at full strength, seven days a week until Labor Day. Six

to seven patrol vessels were on duty Fridays,

Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

A total of 6805 hrs. were logged by officers in 2016.

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II. Law Enforcement and Public Safety

Personal Watercraft (PWC) Enforcement

Log Bay Day Log Bay Day 2016 was marred by two tragic events and five fights that had to be broken up. Attendance at this year’s event was estimated to be between 800 and 1000 people on approximately 250 vessels. This year 27 law enforcement personnel from LGPC, NYSDEC, NYSP and Warren County SD worked the event on the water. Officers from Washington County SD, State Police and Forest Rangers worked the event from the land.

Despite the heavy law-enforcement presence, five fights broke out during the day resulting in six disorderly conduct arrests. Then at approximately 6p.m., a 21yo male dove off the roof of a hardtop pontoon boat into shallow water resulting in him breaking his neck. Finally as the night seemed to be winding down at about 9:25p.m., a vessel suspected to have been at Log Bay Day hit another vessel in the area of Cramer’s Point and fled the area. As a result of this accident an 8yo girl died and her mother was severely injured.

This party has grown over the years as a result of social media. As a result, many individuals come from places such as Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey along with

Marine Patrol Sergeant Shane Ross patrols on one of the new PWCs issued to the Lake George Park Commission from New York State Parks. In 2016, out of the 157 citations issued by the Patrol, 42 were issued for offenses which involved a PWC. Therefore, approximately 5% of the vessels on the

lake accounted for 27% of the charges filed by the Patrol. Citations written for operating a PWC without a boater’s safety certificate and operating after hours make up the majority of these tickets.

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many locals. Due to the seriousness of the recent events at this year’s gathering, the Commission and other Law-Enforcement Agencies are looking at ways to put an end to this event once and for all.

On Water Arrests • 1 Boating While Intoxicated • 6 Disorderly Conduct • 1 Failure to Comply • 3 Trespassing • 1 Vessels Exceeding 90 Decibels • 1 Unregistered Vessels • 8 Insufficient PFDs • 10 Navigation Law or Lake George Park Commission regulation violations

Other on Water Activities • 1 Fatal Boating Accident • 6 Medical Evacuations (including 1 with a broken neck) • 4 Swimmer Assists • 5 Fights Broken Up

Log Bay Day 2016

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Vessel Sanitary Inspections

Civil Enforcement Program

Invasive Species The Marine Patrol is actively engaged in the education of the boating public and enforcement of existing invasive species regulations. The marine patrol assisted at inspection stations as well as patrolling the unattended launches around the lake. The patrol’s goal was to help educate the public about the inspection program as well as ensure that all vessels were properly inspected prior to launching into the waters of Lake George.

A renewed emphasis has been placed on making

sure all vessels are sealed before entering the lake. With the combined effort of Marine Patrol Officers

and Vessel Inspection Technicians at the launch

sites, a total of 637 vessels were inspected

for sealed sanitary systems.

The Commission’s improved oversight of

permits as they are issued and compliance checks

when projects are completed helps prevent

long term violations. However, this has led to an increase in the number of violations being identified over the past few years. In 2016 there have been 77 new enforcement cases.

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The Patrol checked a total of 7298 launches during the season. There was activity present 448 times and the officers logged 476 contacts at the launches.

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III. Education

New York State Safe Boating Course Instruction

Recovered Property The Marine Patrol recovered lost and or stolen property valued at more than $35,000 during the 2016 season. Every year an assortment of missing vessels, canoes, and PWCs are routinely located by the patrol. In addition, a wide variety of smaller items such as knee boards, water skis, lifejackets, and tubes are recovered by the patrol. Any lake user who loses an item on or around the lake should check with the Patrol to see if the item has been found or turned in.

IV. Real Stories from the Marine Patrol

Accidents and Unusual Incidents Drowning: On April 21st, the first day of patrol, officers received a call from Warren County for a drowning in the Hague area. Sergeants Paccione and Ross and Lt. Johns responded to find a victim in the water face down. After recovery of the body, the officers were able to locate the victim’s canoe at the bottom of the lake. Investigation of the incident showed that two heavy

MPO VanAnden teaches a NYS Safe Boating Course at the LGA. The Commission has 5 officers who are NYS Certified Instructors. Anyone born after May 1st 1996 is required to

have a safety certificate to operate a vessel in NY. Visit http://nysparks.com/recreation/boating/safety-courses.aspx to find a course near you.

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marine batteries were in the canoe and possibly shifted while it was anchored causing it to overturn. Due to the cold water, the victim while wearing a life jacket was not able to make it to shore.

Fall from Shelving Rock Falls: At about 4:30pm on Tuesday June 14th, MPO VanNess was dispatched to a call at Shelving Rock Falls for a victim who had fallen from the top of the falls. MPO VanNess had to tie his patrol vessel off to a tree, jump over to shore and hike up to the falls. Once there he found a 24yo male who had fallen from the falls and way lying on the ground at the bottom. MPO VanNess assisted stabilizing the victim until Fort Ann EMS could arrive at the scene. MPO VanNess then assisted EMS workers evacuate the victim up the side of a steep hill to a waiting ATV to get him out of the woods. While the patrol is the first responder to all lake emergencies, it also is called upon to be first responders to shoreline and island emergencies as well.

Severe Storm: On Saturday July 23rd at about 4:15 pm, the skies darkened as a severe storm approached. Winds picked up and waves were soon between 5 and 6 ft. high. Shortly after, 911 calls started coming into the county dispatch center. Almost simultaneously patrol got calls for the following:

• An out of control fire on West Dollar Island • 2 missing canoes with 3 children and 2 adults in the Mother Bunch Islands • An out of control vessel with broken steering, the operator thrown in the water and 3 elderly

subjects still in it • An overturned catamaran in Silver Bay • An overturned motorboat North of Recluse Island with 8 people in the water • A possible overturned boat in the Hague area • A possible overturned boat near Dome Island

The skies darken

ahead of a severe

storm that hit the lake on July 23rd

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Patrol officers made it through conditions many have not experienced before on the lake to take care of all the emergency calls and ensure everyone was safe. In all the above incidents, only one person needed medical services. That person was becoming hypothermic and required transport to Glens Falls Hospital.

In the aftermath of the storm, patrol dealt with a sunken boat on Long Island, a large tree in the channel in the Narrows and a disabled vessel near Pilot Knob. Another sunken boat was discovered around 11pm in Hague and the night boat responded to that call and notified NYS Spills about a small amount of gas that had leaked into the lake.

Serious Personal Injury on Log Bay Day: On Monday July 25th at about 6:00pm, MPOs Mitchell and Kneeshaw were on Log Bay Day PWC patrol through the inner part of Shelving Rock Bay when they observed two individuals jump from the top of a hard top pontoon boat. One individual did a flip on the way down while the other dove into the approximate 3ft depth of water. The 21 yo individual who dove resurfaced in a face down position with arms dangling from his sides. MPOs Mitchell and Kneeshaw immediately got off their PWCs and supported the victim with his head above the waterline while MPO Andersen and ECO Faveau made their way to the scene to assist. The dive door was removed from the new 2016 Boston Whaler Patrol boat so the victim could be safely slid in without movement of his head or neck. The boat was brought into the northeast corner of the bay to a land based EMS Crew from Fort Ann. Fort Ann Rescue personnel entered the patrol boat and back-boarded and collared the victim. Once the victim was loaded into a stokes, Commission Officers, ECO’s, Forest Rangers, State Troopers and others assisted In moving the subject up a steep embankment to a waiting ATV to transport him to a helicopter. Although the victim was paralyzed from the broken neck he received in the dive, alert MPOs and a combined effort from all agencies were able to keep the victim alive until he could reach a hospital. At last check in early December, the victim regained use of his arms and is in therapy to help build strength in them.

Warrant Arrest: On Sunday July 24th, MPO VanAnden was called to respond to Long Island to assist rangers with the eviction of a group from Massachusetts. An alert VanAnden recognized the name given to him by the rangers as a wanted subject that was arrested the previous year for BWI and did not return to answer the ticket. VanAnden contacted Lt. Johns to obtain the warrant and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office for assistance in making the arrest. While the subject was not at the campsite when officers arrived, Johns and a Sheriff’s officer located him at a local marina. He was arrested and transported to the Warren County jail until later in the day when a judge could arraign him and take bail. Officers VanAnden and Ryan assisted rangers remove the rest of the group from the campsite. Another member of the party was ticketed for

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having an open sink on the vessel and failure to comply with a lawful order.

The story doesn’t end here! Instead of packing up and heading home, the group went to Glen Island and registered under the names of the women that they were traveling with. None of the men in the group put their names on the campsite. The next morning, Lt. Johns and Sgts. Paccione and Ross proceeded to Turtle Island to again evict the group with NYS Dec officers. All the gentlemen who were not registered on the site were given tickets for trespassing on a state campground. They were again told to leave the lake as they had an open sink and missing registration sticker.

And there is more! Instead of leaving, the group was intent on going to Log Bay Day. During the day, they were written a ticket for an expired registration from Sgt. Paccione and a littering ticket from the State Police Marine Patrol.

This group received 7 tickets from officers from 3 agencies. The Commission is now in possession of 2 bench warrants for failure to pay a fine and failure to appear from 2 of the subjects from this group. Officers will be on the lookout for them if they return.

Log Bay Day: Monday July 25th, Log Bay Day, was a very busy day. At approximately 2 pm, a 22yo female was brought to Green Island by MPO VanAnden and ECO Wensley for a deep laceration to the knee. When MPO VanAnden followed up with the victim the next day, he found that she required both staples and 24 stitches to close the wound. She was expected to make a full recovery.

At 3 pm, a large fight broke out in the bay. MPOs and ECOs were able to get into the middle of the fight while on PWC patrol. MPO Andersen and ECO Favereau transported 2 individuals back to Green Island for Processing and Lt. Johns and ECO LT. Trottier transported another 2 individuals. MPOs, ECOs and Troopers processed the four individuals for disorderly conduct. One was brought before a judge and remanded for bail after he refused to calm down during processing.

At 4:30 pm, MPOs VanNess and Bassett transported a severely intoxicated and incoherent 20yo male to EMS at Green Island. This young man did not seem to

know his last name, where he was from or where he was. He was found to have a BAC level of 0.21%. He was transported to Glens Falls Hospital and his parents were notified.

Sgt. Ross writes a ticket on Log Bay Day

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In addition to the medical evacuations and fight listed above, 3 more medical evacuations were handled by officers and 4 more fights were broken up with 2 more individuals arrested for disorderly conduct. 205 vessels were also checked coming into the bay and all occupants were warned about having a sober driver on the way out.

Log Bay Day BWI: At 7:40 pm, MPO Sutphen stopped a PWC for operating after 7 pm. Upon MPO Sutphen’s interview with the subject he determined he had been drinking. MPO Sutphen used the skills learned in the in-service training and conducted field sobriety tests. MPO Sutphen placed the subject under arrest after failing the tests. He was brought to Green Island and found to have a BAC level of 0.13%. He was ticketed and released to a sober third party.

Fatal Boating Accident on Log Bay Day: As Log Bay Day seemed to be winding down, Lt. Johns received a call on the radio from Warren County about a serious personal injury accident in the area of Cramer Point. Lt. Johns accompanied by MPO Bassett started for the scene followed by Sgt. Paccione and MPO Ryan. Also responding to the scene were Sgt. Ross, MPO VanAnden, MPO VanNess and MPO Sutphen. While enroute to the scene, Warren County made updates to the patrol to tell them of a possible hit and run and a vessel travelling from the area without lights. Patrol was also told that the accident possibly had fatalities. MPOs VanNess and Sutphen began a search for the second vessel at that point. Ross and VanAnden were the first to arrive at the scene in the boathouse owned by the one vessel operators. The officers were able to check on an 8yo girl in the vessel and help several individuals out of the vessel. MPO VanAnden assisted the injured mother of the three children up the stairs to the house to await EMS. Johns and Bassett arrived followed by Paccione and Ryan to find an 8yo girl still in the boat with severe injuries. Lake George Fire and EMS arrived shortly after and checked the condition of the girl and determined that she had died. At that point, Sgt. Ross and MPO Ryan sealed off the boathouse as a possible crime scene until investigators from the Warren County Sheriff’s Department arrived. MPO VanAnden remained at the house with the family of the victim to comfort them. Lt. Johns, Sgt. Paccione and MPO Bassett left the boathouse to help VanNess and Sutphen with the search for the other vessel. After talking to those in the boat, officers were able to determine that the vessel the family was in was hit and run over by a second vessel. While being run over the mother and daughter were struck by the propeller of the second vessel.

VanNess and Sutphen could see from a distance that a boat was exiting the water at Million Dollar Beach Launch. They immediately went to check that vessel and determined that it was not involved. Johns, Paccione and Bassett began checking the shoreline for any vessel that looked as though it was in an accident. During the search, county dispatchers called to report they had someone on the phone from a local resort that saw a boat pull in and the occupants cover it quickly and acting suspiciously. Both patrols searching for the hit and run vessel immediately went to the scene of the resort to confirm that the hit and run vessel had been

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located. Interviews with the witness revealed that he was a police officer from out of the area and on vacation and felt the individuals were acting suspicious. He called 911 not knowing there was an accident but wanted someone to know if there was a problem it may involve these individuals. Johns, Paccione, Sutphen and a State Trooper walked the road for an extended distance with flashlights looking in the woods and behind homes for the occupants who fled the scene while Bassett and VanNess secured the scene and talked to witnesses. The suspects were found and brought in for questioning the next morning.

Sgts. Ross and Paccione along with other accident reconstruction specialists from NYS Parks conducted a complete accident reconstruction. Their report was submitted to the District Attorney’s office and used in Grand Jury proceedings. Trials will be forthcoming.

Log Bay Day Overview: Log Bay Day 2016 resulted in a boating accident that killed an 8yo girl, a serious life changing injury for a 21yo male, 5 other medical evacuations, 5 fights broken up and 4 swimmers recued. Some officers were on duty from 7am Monday morning until 2am Tuesday morning. This unsanctioned party has come to a point that it is a public safety issue. Efforts are underway by the Lake George Park Commission, NYS DEC, NYS Police, and the Warren and Washington County Sheriff’s Departments to put an end to it.

Sun sets over Sawmill Bay in Bolton

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Unattended Death: On Tuesday August 2nd, NYS Police road patrols were dispatched to a residence in Northwest Bay for an unresponsive male. Upon arrival CPR was being administered to the subject but was unsuccessful. Interviews at the scene revealed that the victim and his family were vacationing at the home. The family minus the victim went for a boat ride. Upon return they found the 59yo victim face down in the water. The property caretaker began CPR until Bolton EMS was on scene. The results of the investigation showed that the victim dove in the water striking his head on the rocks and breaking his neck. The result of this injury caused his death. The marine patrol was not dispatched to this call because it was not originally reported as a swimming or boating accident.

BWAI: On Sunday August 7th at 8:15am, Sgt. Paccione and MPO VanAnden went to Long Island as a follow up eviction from the previous night. At 2am the previous night, NYS ECOs were called to the island for loud intoxicated individuals. Due to their level of intoxication, they were not able to operate a vessel at the time so they could not be immediately evicted. The occupants of the campsite were however given tickets for various infractions by the ECOs. Upon interviewing the owner of the vessel, MPO VanAnden suspected he was still intoxicated and unable to operate the vessel. The subject voluntarily blew into the breathalyzer and produced a reading of 0.103% BAC. VanAnden told him not to operate the vessel before noon and not to drink anymore alcohol. At 10:15am, Officer VanAnden spotted the individual he tested operating a vessel. MPO VanAnden stopped the vessel and retested the subject who was still intoxicated and arrested him for BWAI. MPO was assisted at the arrest by the NYS Police Marine Patrol.

Two Rental Boats Collide: On Saturday August 20th at about 3:00pm, officers were dispatched to a possible serious injury vessel accident with a victim with a head injury in the area of Canoe Island. It was reported that one vessel hit and ran over the top of another vessel in a similar fashion as the fatal boating accident less than a month earlier. MPOs VanAnden and Mitchell as well as Sgt. Ross responded to the scene. MPO Mitchell transported the injured victim to EMS waiting on shore while VanAnden and Ross investigated. They found that one rental boat was pulling a tuber prior to the accident. The operator told officers he was looking back at the tuber and when he turned around there was another boat directly in front of him. He was unable to slow or turn in time. His rental boat hit and drove directly over the second rental boat. Luckily the only injury was a male that was in the back seat of the boat that was run over. He was thrown to the deck of the boat upon impact and struck his head in the base of the front seat. While on the deck of the boat, the second vessel passed directly over him. He was treated for minor injuries and released. The operator at fault was issued a ticket for reckless operation. While he did have other people in the boat to watch the tuber, he was also watching him resulting in having no lookout and an avoidable collision.

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Larceny on Huckleberry Island: On August 22nd at 3:30pm, MPO Kneeshaw was contacted by Glen Island Ranger Station of a larceny on Huckleberry Island. It appears campers interrupted a group going through their tent and stealing over $900 worth of property including electronics, a cooler of food and camping equipment. While responding to the scene, MPO Kneeshaw came across a rental boat grounded on a shoal near the island. The campers on the island informed MPO Kneeshaw those were the individuals they caught going through their things. MPO St John arrived at the scene to assist Kneeshaw, and the 2 interviewed the complainants and suspects. In the end, the main suspect’s friends admitted that they saw their friend steal the items and turned the items over. Officers arrested a 20yo from Jamaica, NY for larceny and processed him at Warren County Sheriff’s office. Officers come across all types of unexpected situations while on patrol.

Overloaded Boat and Underage Drinking: On Wednesday August 24th, Sgt. Paccione received a phone call at the Green Island office about an overloaded rental boat with intoxicated individuals on board in the northern end of the lake. Sgt. Paccione radioed MPO Sutphen who located the vessel in question in Heart Bay with 11 individuals onboard. MPO Kneeshaw and Sgt. Paccione arrived shortly after as backup. Sutphen could smell and see evidence of alcohol on the vessel. Sutphen conducted field sobriety checks on the operator and found he had not been drinking. Alert officers realized that all the occupants were close to the legal drinking age and began asking for everyone’s date of birth. When one individual had problems remembering

Pictured is the vessel that was run over in the August 20th accident. Damage can be seen in the rear of the vessel

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what year he was born, the vessel was returned to the rental house, and everyone was required to get their identification. In the end, 4 tickets were written for possession of alcohol by someone under the age of 21.

Boating Accident, Man Missing: On Sunday September 4th at 12:30am, Lt. Johns was called back into work shortly after his shift ended at 11pm. A call came in that a boat had hit another boat that was docked on Burgess Island in Huletts Landing. The boat operator appeared to be intoxicated and pushed the boat off the docked boat and floated out into the water. After he could not start the boat, he dove into the water and swam away. Those on the island lost sight of him and feared he may have drowned. Also responding to the scene was Warren County Sheriff’s boat and fire departments from Hague, Bolton, Lake George and North Queensbury. Both boats were rental boats and the owner of the rental company was awakened and asked to see if they had an address or island where the occupant missing from the boat might have been staying. The rental company did not know where the renter was staying, and a cell phone call to him was not answered or able to be tracked. An exhaustive search of the area both in the water and on land was conducted until about 3:30am. At 9am, Lt. Johns and Sgt. Paccione returned to the area and began a search of the lake bottom using the side-scan sonar that is installed on one of the Commission’s patrol boats. Shortly after their search began, the Sheriff’s Department called to say they had located the subject at a residence in Ticonderoga. It appears he swam to shore, found a house with lights on and called for a ride. He was ticketed for several infractions by the Sheriff’s Department for things like operating in excess of 5mph w/in 100’ of shore, reckless operation, operating w/o lights and leaving the scene of an accident.

Drowning: On Tuesday September 6th at about 12:45pm, MPO VanNess responded to a call reporting a male had drowned. Upon his arrival he found a rental boat with three individuals onboard near Three Brothers Island. Upon his interview with the occupants of the boat, he found that a father and his son entered the water to go for a swim while the victim’s girlfriend and her daughter stayed in the boat. Shortly after the swim began, the father began to get cramps. The girlfriend attempted to throw a life jacket to the struggling victim but due to the wind could not reach him. The son went to get his father the life jacket, and when he went to return to him he had already gone under water. Upon hearing screams, a resident from Three Brothers Island jumped in his boat and assisted in getting the 16yo out of the water.

Lt. Johns along with members of the Bolton, Lake George, North Queensbury and Hague fire departments and Warren County Sheriff’s Dive team and the State Police helicopter responded to the scene to conduct a search of the area. The search continued until the victim was found Saturday September 10th with members of the Warren County, Saratoga County and State Police dive Teams along with Marine Patrol Officers.

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These are just a few of the stories from the patrol during the 2015 season. Due to the ever changing conditions and job responsibilities, the patrol members must be prepared for whatever comes their way.

V. Patrol Changes in Personnel (Retirements and Promotions)

A NYS Police helicopter and patrol

boat are seen searching for victim who

drowned on September 6th

Sgt. Cindy DeLappa decided to retire after last season. Cindy served on the patrol for 25years. She

was a recipient of the New York State Boating Officer of the Year. We wish her well in her retirement.

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MPO Bill Crain also chose not to return to the patrol this year. Bill is a retired NYS DEC Lieutenant who

served as the Lieutenant in charge of the Commission’s Marine Patrol twice. Upon his

retirement from the DEC, Bill’s love of the lake brought him back to the Commission as a patrolman. He served 6 years as a patrolman. We all appreciate everything Bill taught us about the history of Lake

George.

2 New Sergeants

Interviews were held in April to replace Sgt. Cindy DeLappa after

her retirement. At that time it was decided to promote 2 officers to

that position. Both Angelo Paccione and Shane Ross were

promoted from MPO to Sgt.

Congratulations to both Angelo and Shane for doing a great job in

their new role as Sergeants.

At the October Commission Meeting, Joe Johns was promoted

from Sergeant to Lieutenant.

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2016 Marine Patrol Officer Activity Statistics

PUBLIC ASSISTANCE Courtesy Gas 5 Vessel Tows 32 EMS/First Aid/Rescue Calls 32 Searches 21 Fires 3 Reported Drowning 2 All Other Boater Assists 220 Assists to Other Agencies 74 Law Enforcement Arrests/Citations-Navigation

Law 81

Arrests/Citations-All Other 77 Vessel Speed Citations

(includes “No Wake” zones) 22

PWC Citations 42 BWI Arrests (includes TOTs) 2 Vessel Noise Citations 2 Total Arrests/Citations 158 Complaints Addressed 172 Accidents Investigated 21 Unusual Incident Reports 28 Regattas Patrolled 22 Warnings Issued 1047 Vessel Noise Tests 7 SANITARY INSPECTIONS Total Sanitary Inspections 637 RECOVERED PROPERTY Total Property Value $35,018 AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES AIS Enforcement Hours 924 AIS Support Hours 80 AIS Contacts at Boat Launch

Sites 428

AIS Contacts on Water 48 PATROL HOURS Total Patrol Hours 6805

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VI. Acknowledgements

The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has always provided the Marine Patrol with valuable training opportunities in addition to equipment and cost reimbursement through federal boater safety programs.

The Village of Lake George continues to support the Patrol with donations, and the Town of Lake George donated a dock for Patrol use during the 2016 season.

The New York State Troopers and Warren County Sheriff Deputies work closely with the Marine Patrol all summer and provide critical support.

The Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Law Enforcement assists in providing support for special details and larger events such as Log Bay Day.

The Department of Environmental Conservation's staff at the Green Island Maintenance Facility does an excellent job servicing and maintaining all the Marine Patrol vessels every year.

Enough can’t be said about the professionalism and dedication of Lake George Park Commission’s Marine Patrol Officers. The Marine Patrol has been charged with a great responsibility. They provide assistance, education and quality enforcement to all of the lake’s visitors. This is a responsibility that these exceptional men and women take very seriously, and it shows. Year after year, positive comments regarding the Marine Patrol are both common and well deserved. They are the most visible ambassadors of the Lake George Park Commission and are directly responsible for the continued success of the Marine Patrol program.

A look up the lake on a foggy fall morning

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2016 Patrol Roster

Lt. Joe Johns Sgt Angelo Paccione Sgt. Shane Ross 16th Year 9th Year 5th Year

MPO Scott Andersen MPO Bill VanNess MPO Bob Sutphen 24th Year 15th Year 13th Year

MPO Ray VanAnden MPO Glenn Mitchell MPO Gregg Dunn 11th Year 9th Year 9th Year

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MPO Skip Kneeshaw MPO Harry Bassett MPO Chris Barrett 5th Year 1st Year 1st Year

MPO Bill St.John MPO Gregg Ryan 1st Year 1st Year

Lake George Park Commission

Even with a mild winter, ice poses a serious risk to docks and boathouses

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75 Fort George Road, PO Box 749 Lake George, New York 12845

Phone: 518-668-9347 Fax: 518-668-5001

www.lgpc.state.ny.us

TO CONTACT THE MARINE PATROL

EMERGENCIES

MARINE RADIO CHANNEL 16 Request “Marine Patrol”

LG MARINE PATROL DISPATCH 518-743-2500 (Warren County Sheriff’s Department) or 911

NYS ENCON POLICE DISPATCH 877-457-5680 (toll free, 24 hr. dispatch)

NON EMERGENCIES

LG MARINE PATROL HEADQUARTERS 518-668-9347 (Monday – Friday, 8:30am - 4:30pm)

OTHER USEFUL NUMBERS

TO REPORT ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES 800-TIPP DEC

LAKE GEORGE CAMPGROUND INFORMATION 800-456-CAMP

NYSDEC – Warrensburg Office 518-623-1200

Marine Patrol statistics have been accumulated and categorized to provide a snapshot of the activities going on around Lake George. They provide crucial data on areas of special concern and help determine future patrol needs.

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Marine Patrol Appearance Ticket Breakdown – 4 Year Trend

VIOLATIONS 2016 2015 2014 2013 Total Vessel PWC Total Vessel PWC Total Vessel PWC Total Vessel PWC EQUIPMENT No Lake User Fee 18 17 1 28 21 7 26 14 12 20 16 4 Unregistered Vessel 11 11 0 18 16 2 18 16 2 28 26 2 Lifejacket Violation 23 22 1 24 23 1 18 18 0 30 27 3 Other Equipment Violations 6 6 0 5 5 0 4 4 0 5 5 0 OPERATION

Vessel Noise Violations 3 3 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 5 5 0 Speed - Restricted Limit 18 5 13 17 8 9 11 4 7 12 7 5 Exceed Speed Limit 4 1 3 2 0 2 3 3 0 9 9 0 Boating While Intoxicated 2 2 0 6 3 3 3 3 0 4 4 0 Reckless/Unsafe Operation 3 3 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 Skiing/Towing Violations 16 14 2 5 4 1 9 8 1 16 13 3 No Boater Safety Certificate 18 0 18 24 0 24 28 27 1 23 1 22 PWC After Hours 4 0 4 8 0 8 8 0 8 8 0 8 Other Operation Violations 3 3 0 8 4 4 5 4 1 5 5 0 OTHER Water Quality, Littering, etc 5 4 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 4 4 0 Fishing, State Lands, etc 11 5 0 18 10 0 10 0 0 6 0 0 Underage Alcohol 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Disorderly Conduct, etc 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 All Others 8 8 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 158 109 42 171 101 62 147 105 32 179 124 47

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