Mosquito Lake boat patrol at full throttle

By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- You can escape the heat on Mosquito Lake but you can't escape the law.
The Trumbull County Sheriff's Department has once again started its summer boat patrol program.
"We have been doing this for the past five years but I don't think everyone realizes that we are out there," Sheriff Thomas Altiere said. "The lake is part of the county and we want to make sure the citizens are safe while enjoying the water."
The patrol boat is a 23-foot motor boat. The boat patrol program is funded by the county and a $10,000 federal grant. Altiere said the sheriff's department patrol boat is on the lake "at least four days a week."
"During the week we patrol the lake from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.," said Captain Gary Bacon. "On the weekends and holidays we are out from dawn to dusk." Bacon said the boat patrols begin on Memorial Day and end the day after Labor Day.
Keeping busy: "The boat patrol has been busy already this year," Bacon said. "We have done several boat inspections, in which we make sure the boats have all the proper safety equipment including lights and distress flags. We also make sure people are operating their boats at safe speeds."
In addition to making sure the state and local laws are followed, the department also assists citizens who become injured.
"Just a few weeks ago a young man was seriously injured in a jet ski crash," Bacon said. "We made sure he got the proper medical attention as quickly as possible."
Bacon and Altiere noted that deputies who work on the boat patrol must have completed a special training course conducted by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
"The deputies have to learn proper boating skills and safety issues," Bacon said. "We have about eight deputies who have completed the training course."