Anticipating big weekend on local waters, Douglas County Sheriff ramps up patrols

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - With thousands still without power, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is expecting an uptick in people going to the Missouri River and area lakes to beat the heat.

They’ve already ramped up safety patrols on the river. On Saturday, they will do the same at Cunningham Lake, where three people have recently drowned.

Sheriff’s deputies allowed 6 News to ride along on a patrol last Saturday.

The task involves checking on boat operators and making sure they’re following boating safety regulations.

“When you’re on the boat, you need to have a life preserver for every person on the boat,” Deputy Pete Coffey said. “Particularly with children below the age of 13, they need to be wearing them. That, in my opinion, would be the most important because if you were to go over — if you’re a child — in this river, there’s no way you’re going to be able to self rescue. The current’s just too strong.”

You also need other equipment like a fire extinguisher, an oar, and a horn or whistle. When buying many of these items, the sheriff’s office said to make sure they are Coast Guard approved by looking for the “UL” mark.

Deputies are also checking for more than equipment.

“Making sure the operator’s not consuming alcohol,” Coffey said. “It’s fine for other people of age on the boat to be consuming alcohol, but not the operator. Again, it’s a .08 BAC. The same as vehicles.”

And he has a warning if you want to go for a swim.

“The current is going at least five miles per hour, typically. Sometimes a little bit faster. And there’s lots of finger dikes coming out here, so there’s lots of undercurrents that are unpredictable. It can pull people under.”

Tabor, Iowa resident Clint Blackburn was on the river last Saturday. He said it can be a good time.

“We come up here just to hit these marinas and go have a fun time, go to Surfside, grab some lunch, listen to the bands,” Blackburn said.

But he said you have to respect the river.

He and his group passed the safety check with flying colors that day.

“For one, we don’t want anybody to get hurt,” he said. “And two, we don’t want to spend any money we don’t have to.”

These safety laws don’t just apply to rivers. Even on other bodies of water, it’s against the law to not have a life jacket.

With three recent drownings at Cunningham Lake within the last week, it’s a reminder that no matter how tranquil the water looks, it can still be deadly.

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