SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Marine 1 is the home of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) on the water at Lake Tahoe. Marine 1 is a federally funded police boat that runs on the lake’s waters and patrols from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the summertime. Running the boat each day are mainly reserve officers, or officers retired from street patrol. Officers Shannon Laney and Michele Gigante are experienced in police work and patrol the lake with smiling faces and a commitment to making the water safer for all who encounter them.
According to Laney, a typical day on boat patrol starts at 9 a.m., with the boat departing from the Tahoe Keys after safety checks, boat preparation and checking for calls from the night before. In the case of Sabrina’s ride on Saturday, June 28, the boat left the dock around 10:10 a.m.
After departing from the Tahoe Keys, the patrol on the lake started by checking for any possible damage from the night before. Especially after last Saturday’s storm, both Laney and Gigante agreed that the weather is one of the most dangerous aspects of the lake. While Tahoe is known for its quick-turning weather, last Saturday’s nightmarish outcome was something never seen before, according to both officers.
Their advice to the public following the storm is to pay attention to the weather and prepare for rapid changes.
“Make sure you have your life jacket and you know how to use it,” said Laney. “Drive sober, and be ready for instantly changing weather conditions. Saturday was a perfect example. That was not predicted in any model that I had seen, and it came out of nowhere. If you find yourself in that position, wear your life jacket and get close to a safe harbor.”
Even in bad weather circumstances, SLTPD cannot force boaters and those on the
lake to go to shore. While they can give a warning, the most efficient way to avoid being stuck in intense weather is to use weather apps, such as NOAA, which the officers use themselves. Besides weather, both Laney and Gigante agreed that the water temperature and the size of the rental fleet in South Lake Tahoe are the two other biggest causes of danger on the lake.
The coldness of the water, mixed with the high altitude in Tahoe, can tire out a swimmer extremely quickly, and can lead to drownings and cold water shock.
“We’ve seen people when they come up to high altitude, go up the stairs on the second floor, and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m winded,’” Gigante said. “Well, what happens when they jump in the water to go for a swim? They get winded a lot faster. They realize how the altitude affects them, and the cold.”
Additionally, the lake is home to four main rental marinas, including those at Tahoe Keys, Ski Run, Lakeside and Timber Cove. The large amount of rentals coming out of these marinas leads to a large rental fleet, which can lead to rule confusion due to inexperience and injury.
Around 11:15 a.m., the first stop on the water occurred with Marine 1. A boat was pulled over using police lights for what appeared to be an expired registration. According to Gigante, usually pulling over a boat entails simply communicating with a motorized vehicle over the speaker system and stopping alongside the boat, but sometimes lights and sirens are used in certain circumstances.
Despite expired stickers on the boat, the driver was released due to confirmation from dispatch that the boat had been registered for the year, but the sticker was yet to be placed on the pontoon. Expired registrations are among the most common violations seen on the lake. Other things the officers say are common include no life jackets when paddleboarding, inaccessible life jackets on boats, the absence of boater safety cards, illegal charters and intoxication.
Motorized water vessels are often checked for these violations on safety inspections, which are very common for Marine 1 to complete. According to Laney, an officer will first ask for the operator’s boater safety card, followed by a sound device on board, such as a horn or whistle. Next, the officer will check for a fire extinguisher less than 12 years old, and Coast Guard PFDs, or lifejackets, for all those onboard the vessel. Finally, they will ask to see a throwable Type 4, or flotation device.
A big aspect of combating rule violations and tragedy on the lake is teamwork and communication. First, Laney and Gigante showed me, while on the boat, the importance of working as a team as first responders on Marine 1. Working together using a mix of past experiences, specialties and talents allows for efficiency and helpful aid to those in need on the water.
Not only do the officers rely on each other, but also on those out patrolling the water. Marine 1 works closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, and other agencies on the lake to navigate calls and keep the lake safe and out of harm’s way. Working with these other patrols involves talking over the radio and listening, and responding to dispatchers (other team members) to divide and conquer calls for assistance.
Finally, the boating and rental community are supporters of search and rescue efforts to ensure safety on the water. Charter boats work to inform Marine 1 and the Coast Guard of possible help they see needed on the water, and Ski Run and Tahoe Keys marina rental businesses provide Marine 1 with GPS locations of their rental boats out on the water.
Around 11:30 a.m., Marine 1 was flagged down by boaters unsure how to return to the Keys Marina. After giving them directions, we patrolled around for a while longer before heading towards Camp Richardson.
Camp Richardson is one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Lake Tahoe, especially around the 4th of July. According to officers, lots of extra preparation goes into preparing to patrol the lake during this busy time of year.
First, officers on Marine 1 will extend their shift to stay on the lake until midnight with the fireworks barge. This means they start their patrol later in the day, and continue to look for safety violations and, in correspondence with the holiday, intoxication. Besides moving their shift, Marine 1 instills extra practices into their daily patrolling routine while out on the lake.
“The fireworks show is in Douglas County, Nevada, but the majority of the boats that go to the show come out of South Shore and go back in again,” said Gigante. “So our job is watching boats go over. One of the things that Shannon does that I think is really incredible is early on, while it’s still light, he catches boats real quick and asks them to just do a light check to make sure their navigation lights are working. A lot of people don’t think to do that while it’s still light, then it could cause major issues later.”
According to officers, the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe is a comparable time of year with the same rise in rental boats and chaos on the lake.
Officers said COVID-19 was one of the worst summers on the lake in terms of popularity due to the increase in people buying boats.
Around 12 p.m., we headed to check in and say hello to the Coast Guard patrol boat on the water. According to officers, the main difference between Marine 1 and Coast Guard boat patrol is that Marine 1 has more discretion in its role as a defense officer.
Additionally, those working on Marine 1 in South Lake Tahoe are reserves, or police officers who are retired from working on the street and work four months or more on the boat, returning to retirement in the winter. Those on the Coast Guard boat are active members of the U.S. Coast Guard.
The day continued with minor calls on the lake we needed to check on, and more patrolling and safety check-ins. Finally, we rode back into the Tahoe Keys to check the canals for any safety issues, and I was dropped back at the dock around 2 p.m.
Laney and Gigante say their day typically ends at 7 p.m. after the rental boats, which are due back at their marinas at 6 p.m., have come in.
A theme repeated by officers was their gratitude for the community support, and their thankfulness to end their careers in police work in such a rewarding way.
“We’re on the most beautiful lake in the country on a very, very capable vessel that we’ve been provided by the community,” said Laney. “We’re just extremely grateful to have this job. It is the most rewarding job that I’ve had in all the years I’ve been a police officer…The boating community in Tahoe is just so kind and gracious up here. They know, we don’t educate with a heavy hand, we educate for safety. Then, when we need to enforce it with citations or make people go back to the dock, they know this for a good reason.”
Officer Laney and Gigante recommended following the police department on Instagram for updates to stay aware of possible risks and dangers – @southlaketahoepd.
-Photos and story by South Tahoe Now Intern Sabrina Philip, University of Montana