Patrolling Oakland lakes for safety

Members of the Oakland County Sheriff Department dive team. Photo: Oakland County Sheriff Department.

By Michael Scott

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit will once again be patrolling Oakland County’s lakes this summer, but a tight budget means stretched resources to cover its more than 450 navigable lakes. Yet despite the fiscal challenges, the sheriff’s department has additional resources available to help save lives and respond in emergency situations on county waterways.

The marine unit includes 43 part-time emergency response marine deputies and nearly 20 full-time deputies trained in search and rescue diving. Despite having a budget that is about half of what it was a decade ago, Oakland County deputies still utilize some of the most high-tech equipment available to help patrol its lakes and conduct emergency actions.

The sheriff’s office marine unit has been funded largely by the Marine Safety Grant over the years but following budget cuts during the Great Recession, the same level of funding never returned, said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. That forced the department to find alternative operational strategies. The unit’s 2025 budget adopted by Oakland County was just over $726,000. That budget was previously well over $1 million over a decade or more ago.

Oakland County seeks and qualifies for various grants to help support its budget, but funding provided by the state legislature is limited. Bouchard has been advocating for an increase in appropriations reserved for Oakland County from boat registration fees collected at the state level. Given Oakland County residents have access to more inland lakes, more registered boats and thus typically experience more watercraft accidents than any other county in the state, Bouchard believes that the patrol unit should receive significantly more of the state funds generated by registration fees.

“We have more navigable lakes than any in the state,”: Bouchard said, referencing the county’s 452 lakes that can be traveled by boat, and its more than 1,200 bodies of water . “I’ve asked the legislature to give us half of those boating fees. It would make a big difference. We’ll keep asking.”

Asking for more money is important because the costs of running the unit continue to rise. Inflation impacts law enforcement budgets just as it does elsewhere. That includes increases in the costs of equipment, wages, energy sources like marine boat oil and gas, and more. The unit’s equipment, including its fleet of boats, is maintained internally by a group of largely retired volunteer mechanics and law enforcement personnel. Even with the benefit of labor cost savings from this group of maintenance volunteers, the parts needed to successfully complete the repairs can be extensive.

In one example last year, a rescue boat was severely damaged during a difficult emergency deployment in northern Oakland County when its motor hit a block of concrete in the water, causing more than $2,000 in damages, according to Oakland County Sheriff's Office Lt. Brian Burwell, who oversees its marine unit. The Marine Safety Grant no longer covers the cost of these types of repairs, so the sheriff’s department must foot the bill.

“It adds up quickly, especially when you have your regular maintenance needs and then unexpected repairs too,” Burwell said. “We have a deep bench of mechanics and talented people who help to provide 99.9 percent of our maintenance, which is critical. But the (parts) still cost money.”

The Marine Unit’s full fleet includes a 27-foot dive boat, 15-foot specialized rescue boats, 19 patrol boats and four rapid response jump boats that are towed by marine deputies. Additional watercraft can also be summoned based on availability.

The unit’s assets don’t include just watercraft. Deputies use gear and tools that incorporate some of the latest technology in water safety equipment in the market, including 360-degree sonar that gives a good view of a lake bottom where even divers can be tracked.

Deputies also have access to night vision equipment and AquaEye devices, which are handheld scanners that can interpret data that helps to manage deployments more effectively in rescue situation. AquaEye transmits a sonar pulse to a depth or distance of 50 meters and evaluates the returning echo using state-of-the-art AI-assisted sonar technology.

Several drones and a county-owned helicopter are critical resources when attempting find or rescue people.

These resources are also available to the Southeast Michigan Dive Group which includes 383 divers and over 250 support personnel. The dive group is comprised of highly trained professionals from 31 different counties and agencies throughout Michigan and northern Ohio. It was formed in May of 2022 and is the largest mutual aid response dive group in Michigan and one of the largest in the country. The dive group has access to several remote underwater operated vehicles as needed.

Like with the marine unit, members of the Southeast Michigan Dive Group are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for professional response and/or support for water rescues and recovery incidents throughout its coverage area, including Oakland County. Members respond to water-related incidents with extensive training and highly specialized equipment to help save lives and provide underwater recovery of drowning victims or accident victims in the water. They aid detective bureaus in the region with the recovery of property to be processed as evidence in a criminal investigation.

“Our (dive group) members are the best of the best,” Burwell said.

All members received numerous hours of training with their agencies as well as additional specialized training within the group. Some members have developed specialized skills in technical rescue, underwater salvage operations and underwater explosive threat recognition. The Southeast Michigan Dive Group was activated 274 times in 2024, Burwell said.

All the equipment these rescue professionals have can help find missing persons. That process starts with identifying their last seen location, which gives deputies a reasonable approximation of where a search should begin. The county’s helicopter in particular can support a “probability search” which is created using statistical data that can help improve the accuracy of where a person in trouble may be found, Combined with drone visibility, these strategies help the unit more effectively organize a search.

Yet even these resources aren’t full-proof.

“Drones (can be deployed) quickly and can help detect thermal energy but they are limited by batteries,” Burwell said. “Helicopters are critical but are limited by weather.”

Upon arriving at a scene, Southeast Michigan Dive Group members can deploy several resources to help access people in hard-to-reach locations underwater. These tools include metal detectors, salvage equipment, K-12 saws, cutting torches, including an exothermic cutting torch, and rope rescue equipment. Divers also use confined space rescue equipment, underwater cameras, emergency lighting, dark/night vision technology, generators, water/ trash pumps, warming trailers and marine containment boom. Any of these items may be critically needed to support life-saving efforts, Burwell said.

“Whatever we can get our hands on to help in a rescue situation, we’ll get,” Burwell said. “Some of our rescues are quite (complex).”

The group also deploys surface supplied air, two Cascade Air Trailers and other specialized dive rescue equipment including Hazmat diving. It has numerous K-9 units, bomb technicians as well as bloodhounds (for searches) and cadaver dogs.

Given the funding challenges, the marine unit schedules its regular lake patrols during hours when there is the highest potential for drowning or boating incidents based on available data. For example, Cass Lake is Oakland County’s largest lake at 1,280 acres. It has an average depth 26 feet, and its deepest point reaches 123 feet. Based on its size and broad accessibility, not to mention the number of violations Cass Lake boaters have amassed over the years, it has the reputation for high levels of recreational activity. That can lead to more safety issues, many of which can be exacerbated by the use of alcohol by lake boaters and passengers. Cass Lake’s large sandbar may have up to 3,000 people at any one time on a busy summer weekend, Burwell said.

To help account for this and other popular, densely populated lakes, the Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit stages its staff to help as many residents stay safe as possible. That means many of the smaller lakes aren’t able to get regular patrols, Bouchard said. “These are data driven decisions,” he said.

While the marine unit cannot be on every lake all the time, it is one of the largest and most respected groups of its kind in the country. Members serve in a variety of roles, including tactical rescue, refined space rescues, and more. The marine unit is part of the Sheriff’s Department Technical Support Group (TSG) formed by Bouchard to provide a specialized response to critical incidents and events. The TSG also includes the Southeast Michigan Dive Group, Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team (SSRT) and other non-marine related teams like its aviation and drone units.

The SSRT helps to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals in Oakland County and beyond, Burwell said. The team utilizes professional response capabilities and specialized equipment to significantly enhance the effectiveness of search and rescue operations, especially in challenging environments and critical situations such as severe storms..

SSRT team members are highly trained in various rescue scenarios, highlighting their importance as a reliable and essential resource for emergency response and public safety. These services are also available anytime, with statewide response possible. It is comprised of nearly 20 professionals who receive 80 hours of training the first two weeks, and 40 additional hours before they are able to respond as part of the unit.

The training and continual education though never ends. SSRT deputies are required to participate in monthly training efforts and participant in regular coursework. Burwell estimates that it takes about three years to fully train a deputy in all areas of the unit.

Burwell said Oakland County also can activate a “strike team” as needed. A strike team has a set number of resources and personnel that could be deployed rapidly to an emergency scene anywhere to assist with rescue and recovery operations, Burwell said. It provides a speedy response with the most important equipment. Added support is available as the incident evolves. Strike team members are trained across multiple rescue disciplines to increase their immediate effect on scene.

Each agency within the Southeast Michigan Dive Group has its own strike team. “It allows us to respond extremely quickly to critical situations,” Burwell said.

One of the biggest challenges the marine unit faces outside of emergency situations is handling citations and violations on the water. Deputies are encouraged to educate boaters first when they are stopped for a violation, rather than to automatically write a citation, Bouchard said. The first step is to inform residents of what they did wrong and help keep them and others in the water safe. Boaters stopped for a violation often receive a warning first, without being issued a ticket, Bouchard added. This is especially true if the violation appears to be an honest oversight.

“We try to solve the issue without issuing a ticket, but it is up to each deputy to make that decision,” Bouchard said. “Statistics show that a warning and (verbal) education is very effective in changing behavior in a positive way. We’ll issue a ticket if it’s warranted but that’s not our goal.”

Burwell confirmed that Oakland County does not issue any quotas for its deputies. All funds collected from lake or boating violations are sent to the state’s general fund with some of that money coming back to the county at the state’s discretion. “We are not paying for our own jobs, that’s not how it works,” Burwell said. “It’s a good system because our (revenue) isn’t tied to the number of tickets we issue. You don’t want a situation where there’s policing for profit happening.”

Some of the more common types of violations cited by deputies include the lack of a drain plug or fire extinguisher in the boat, using incorrect life jackets, and a range of alcohol-related violations, Burwell said.

Using incorrect life jackets in particular is a common theme, especially for children. For example, “swimmer wings” that are widely available online and at retail stores nationally that are used for children are not a legally-approved substitution for a certified life jacket, Burwell said. Free life jackets are available at some boat launches around the state and in Oakland County that are managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Members of the marine unit often visit county-based DNR launch sites because that’s where they can engage in meaningful dialogue to help educate boaters.

That is particularly important because law enforcement officials are no longer allowed to conduct a safety inspection on a boat if there has not been a violation committed. That means deputies have a limited ability to prevent potential safety issues from occurring with boaters already in the water unless a violation is clear.

Regardless, the purpose of issuing violations is to change behavior when warranted. “We’re kind of like the father of the lake community we’re patrolling,” Burwell said. “We’ll make that decision onsite.”

Warnings or violations can help prevent drownings. It was a particularly difficult year for such tragedies in Oakland County in 2024, with 14 deaths attributed to drownings county-wide, including 11 in lakes.

These tragic incidents are difficult to prevent, Burwell said, because of the sheer numbers of people on county lakes. Burwell believes there are more people venturing onto county lakes than ever before, especially after the COVID pandemic when many new boaters invested in lake life. Most of the county’s mid-to-large lakes, such as Lake Orion, Orchard Lake and White Lake, are public access launching points, which is good for recreational lovers, but can make it harder to patrol.

“Some of those people just don’t know the lakes they are (boating or swimming) in well,” Burwell said. “There are many dangerous spots in each lake.” That’s why residents are encouraged to swim in clearly designated areas.

Plus, boat technology continues to evolve with engines being more powerful than ever. Personal watercraft can be driven at more than 70 miles per hour. Jet skis are also driven at faster speeds. A July 2024 Popular Science article indicated that the See Doo RXP-X 325 is powered by the “fastest-accelerating PWC engine to date.” It’s spokesperson called it “superbike on the water.”

The number of boats that are prevalent on county lakes is one reason why boating safety and blood alcohol regulations will be more strictly enforced during holiday weekends. Operation Dry Water is a national awareness and enforcement campaign designed to reduce alcohol and drug-related accidents and fatalities on the water during the Fourth of July weekend. Oakland County Sheriff’s Department designated July 4-6 as days of higher patrols in 2024 and plan to partake in a similar program this summer,

One way to address educational gaps with boaters is to provide ongoing boating safety training for anyone navigating its lakes. Bouchard encourages that lake enthusiasts take the county’s in-person boating safety course, which is available for anyone free of charge. The course covers such topics general boating and water safety, navigational rules, causes and prevention of crashes, operation and fueling techniques, environmental concerns and reporting responsibility. It also give students the latest in boat equipment requirements, regulations for children and more.

“It’ll cover (topics) life safety and rotation devices,” Bouchard said. “If you’re going to be on our lakes operating any (watercraft) you really should take a course every few years. It could help save a life.”

Classes are taught in-person at the Sheriff's Patrol Services Building at 1200 N. Telegraph, Building 57 West at the Oakland County complex in Pontiac. Combined with other education courses offered by Oakland County in such topics as hunting, off-road vehicle and snowmobile safety courses, and a women’s self-defense class, the county averages about 100 in-person students each month, Burwell said.

The DNR offers a free online boating safety class available through Oakland County’s website but Burwell encourages residents to take the in-person class in Pontiac if possible.

“Safety is something we promote. Education is so important,” Burwell said. “A lot of people on the lake are very uninformed, so we’re trying to change behavior. Taking that educational course in person is always better because of the direct interaction you have.”

Burwell added Oakland is one of the few counties that provide this level of in-person education to its residents. Enforcement only goes so far to changing behaviors, and many lake enthusiasts don’t keep up with law changes that impact requirements.

“We don’t have many people that are intentionally breaking the law,” Burwell said. “It’s hard to keep up with (new laws). They lead busy lives and every lake is different.”

The marine unit makes regular patrols on Oakland County lakes but starting four years ago it began offering extra patrol hours to interested lake associations and neighborhoods for a fee. Nearly 20 have contracts in place for such services. The lake association or neighborhood will determine the number of additional patrol hours it would like each year, Burwell said. The Oakland County Board of Commissioners sets the fees based on actual staff and deployment costs.

Most contracts are for three years. The groups can request specific days to use these extra patrol hours, such as holidays, weekends and evenings, and Oakland County will try to support these requests as much as possible. Extra patrols are often requested for the week of July 4.

“The (associations) will actually contract with the townships or their municipalities who will pay us,” Burwell said. “These are additional patrols that (marine safety grants) don’t provide.”

Lake Orion, Orchard Lake and Keego Harbor are among the nearly 20 communities that contract with the county for this service.

Participating lakes under a private contract as of 2024 included: Cass Lake, Cedar Island Lake, Deer Lake, Lake Orion, Lake Sherwood, Lakeville Lake, Maceday Lake, North Commerce Lake, Orchard Lake, Pine Lake, South Commerce Lake, Sylvan Lake, Upper Long Lake, Voorheis Lake, Walled Lake, Walnut Lake, Williams Lake and White Lake.

The sheriff’s marine unit also patrols lakes with DNR launch sites.

Sheriff deputies also patrol active lakes from foot along the shore because that’s where they can often spot issues before they turn into tragedies. Marine unit officials can relay issues they see to patrol units on the water through cell phones or two-way radios, helping responding officers to identify people struggling in the water, obvious violations, overcrowding and more. They pay close attention to designated swim areas and whether there are people swimming outside those areas.

“Most people don’t realize that you get huge drop-offs and temperature changes as you get outside of those swimming areas,” Burwell said. “Things get dangerous quickly, but our men and women do a tremendous job coming together to keep us safe. They’re in the sun all day too.”

Another issue that the unit covers is the growing personal watercraft rental market. While it is difficult to cover all the boats and jet skis rented by private residents, patrol unit members inspected about 650 boats from businesses renting boats and watercraft adjacent to lakes around the county in 2024, Burwell said. Deputies shut down several of these liveries and mandated the removal of numerous boats from service that weren’t safe. Many of those unsafe watercraft took on too much water upon inspection, or didn’t have the proper number and/or types of life jackets.

“It’s a big issue,” Burwell said. “Several boat rental places don’t care if people have licenses or not.”

Another big issue is the workload experienced by the marine unit individually or collectively. But Burwell said all deputies and professionals involved in these teams know exactly what they signed up for. He always tells law enforcement officials who are applying to become team members that it is not a job for people wanting to work a regular 40-hour-per-week shift. A search and rescue emergency can happen at any time, often at night and/or on weekends. Response time is critical.

The talent and collective knowledge of responding officers, divers and SSRT members is what really makes the marine unit as effective as it is. “One of the most important assets we have is our people. We work hard to develop a level of cooperation with the public,” Burwell said. “Residents are equally involved with us. We want to make it clear we’re here (to serve and support) residents and not as an occupying army.”

Even so, these deputies and first responders understand their responsibilities and duties and must be available when needed. It’s not an easy job.

“There’s a lot of stress on these deputies but they are highly motivated men and women,” Burwell said. “Everything comes down to time. It’s a 24/7/365 job. But if you like the work, Oakland County is a great place to do it. I feel like I’m living the dream every day.”

(Residents are asked to Immediately report serious incidents or dangerous activity on the lake by calling the Oakland County Sheriff dispatcher at 248.858.4950 or by calling 9-1-1.)­ ­­­­