Two-person police team protecting South Lake Tahoe waters

A day on the lake is a dream come true for many, but for two South Lake Tahoe Police Department officers it's another day at the office. As they navigate Lake Tahoe they are looking for speeders, unsafe practices, life vests, drunk boaters and boat registrations, as well as responding to life threatening crashes and drownings.

"It's our little city out here," explained Steve O'Brien who has manned the South Lake Tahoe police boat for 17 summers.

For five days a week, O'Brien and Heather Carlquist are police officers on water, and instead of a patrol car they use the 33-foot long Marine One to comb the southern shore of the lake to keep everyone safe and law abiding. For Carlquist, this is her sixth season on the boat

Funded completely by boating taxes, the team patrols from just east of Pope Beach to the state line, but there are no borders when boats are in distress or boaters are facing safety challenges. One percent of a boat's registrations goes to the California Department of Boating and Waterways for enforcement, and South Lake Tahoe is one of just two cities in the state that receives a grant from them to cover salaries, boat maintenance, fuel and equipment to provide law enforcement on the water. The only thing the grant doesn't cover is the cost of a boat, but there was another grant for that, O'Brien said.

"The US Coast Guard runs operations on the lake, and they will dispatch the closest local boats. They're our best partners," said O'Brien. At most times there are six to seven boats on the lake from El Dorado County, Douglas County, Placer County and Washoe County Sheriff's offices as well as SLTPD and Coast Guard. Each of them has their own Area of Responsibility (AOR). There are fire boats too, but they don't patrol and are there for emergencies and other situations.

Lake Tahoe is a federal waterway and governed by an interstate compact which allows O'Brien and Carlquist to cross the state line. This compact has been in place since before GPS could tell a boater where the line was.

"Crime scene takes on a whole new meaning on the water," said O'Brien. "Debris scatters quickly."

The two officers attend a lot of trainings to keep up on boating laws and other tools needed for doing the best job on the water, all paid for as well by California Department of Boating and Waterways.

Training and education is something the pair wishes more water enthusiasts took time on. Last year there were four drownings off the South Lake Tahoe shore, and all four could have been prevented by a life preserver. South Tahoe Now has covered the subject of Cold Water Shock a few times, and a life preserver is essential to stay alive no matter what the person's swimming ability or strength (see our 2016 story and 2017).

"We have zero tolerance for no life vest," said O'Brien.

So far in 2018, the SLT team hasn't had to respond to drownings, but there was a close call when a canoer capsized as they headed into the wind. His partner was able to keep his head above water most of the time until help arrived. Even with that help the victim ended up in a coma for a few days. The situation was a combination of alcohol, no life vest, wind and cold water shock and could have turned out much worse.

Boaters need to know the rules of the water, not only concerning life jackets but for right-of-way rules, swim lines and the no-wake rules. People on floatation devices going past the swim lines must have life jackets on as well, but O'Brien recommends they stay inside designated swim areas for safety.

My recent ride on the SLT boat with Carlquist and O'Brien was on the last day of Opertion Dry Water, a national boating under the influence campaign. This effort was more of an informational effort as that is always a goal of theirs on Lake Tahoe. While the Coast Guard can board a boat without cause for an inspection, SLTPD cannot. They need probably cause so look for passengers in boats with open containers (which is okay, but the driver needs to be sober).

While on board they wrote tickets to two boaters with expired registrations, the most common offense they deal with. Even on the ride back into dock we passed three more boats with expired tags.

Boaters wave at the police boat crew often, and with all their years of service on the water, O'Brien and Carlquist have become friends with many on boats.

"People are waving all the time," said Carlquist. "It's different than when on patrol."

She was on patrol in South Lake Tahoe and Hollister before becoming the boat officer. The boat runs May through October and in the off season she does the police department's background checks. O'Brien retired from SLTPD as a sergeant after 21 years in South Lake Tahoe and 12 with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.

At times, like with last weekend's fatal shooting at the Y, the pair will be called off the boat to provide support in the community.

The next time you're on Lake Tahoe, be educated on the laws, be prepared and wear that life jacket. It's a big "city" out there, but know that two of South Lake Tahoe's finest are helping keep all safe and protected.