By KOVR News Staff
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SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) — Memorial Day Weekend is the traditional start of boating season, with many people taking advantage of the warmer weather to take their boats out for the first time. But soon, a key tool on the water to keep the rivers safe could be stuck on dry land.
So far this weekend, the Sacramento Police Department’s boat patrol has pulled over more than a dozen boaters and handed out six tickets. But that ability to patrol these waterways may be coming to an end due to the city’s $44 million budget deficit.
Hundreds of boats and jet skis hit the water this Memorial Day Weekend. For decades, Sacramento police boats have been patrolling the Sacramento and American rivers, enforcing laws and trying to keep the waterways safe.
“They respond out to boating collisions, boating while under the influence,” said Allison Smith with Sacramento police. “They’re making those proactive stops as well as responding to things.”
The boat patrol team also helps clear abandoned vessels sinking in the river, “so they don’t become hazards for swimmers or boaters,” Smith said.
The city says it can save $293,000 a year by cutting the boat patrol’s two full-time employees.
Many boaters like having officers on the water, looking for unsafe activity.
“There’s a lot of knuckleheads drinking and boating,” boater Mark Letner said. “They need to be kept in check. The police are a good thing.”
Police Chief Kathy Lester says cutting the boat patrol could leave portions of the river unprotected.
“Everything from Meadowview, Pocket all the way up through the American River and out to the county line, and I don’t foresee the sheriff’s department coming into the city to patrol those areas,” she said.
A budget crisis is now leaving Sacramento PD’s boat sailing into uncertain waters just as the season begins.
The city says if the boat patrol is cut, those officers won’t be laid off. They will just be reassigned to fill other currently vacant positions.
City leaders will resume budget talks next week, and any cuts would begin taking effect July 1.
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