Siskiyou County Sheriff puts $100K boating safety grant to good use

SISKIYOU COUNTY, Calif. – The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office just received a $100,000 grant from the California Department of Parks and Recreation Division of Boating and Waterways.

With the Boating Safety and Enforcement Equipment Grant money, the sheriff’s office will be retiring an older vessel and replacing it with a new patrol boat and trailer.

According to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, the new patrol boat is equipped with sonar technology which it says will enhance its ability to scan lake and river beds. This will enable officers to more easily search for evidence collection, mapping, missing persons searches, and underwater hazard detection.

This is the first time the sheriff’s office will have access to sonar technology on a patrol boat, previously the boat safety team relied on divers and partner agencies.

In total the sheriff’s office has five boats which it deploys to various waterways throughout the county for both patrols and rescues.