KCSD Receives Patrol Boat Donation
KOSCIUSKO — The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department is very pleased to receive the donation of a new patrol boat for the department lake patrol program from the Wawasee Property Owners Association and with the assistance of Griffith Wawasee Marina in Syracuse.
Thanks go to both of these fine organizations for their generous, community-minded donation.
This patrol boat was purchased with charitable donations made to the Wawasee Property Owners Association by their membership and considerable discounts by Griffith’s Wawasee Marina and outfitted with police equipment by the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department.
The Wawasee Property Owners Association has once again made a lasting commitment to the safety of Wawasee Lake and all citizens that enjoy one of the premier lakes of Kosciusko County with this donation. W.P.O.A. is an organization that seeks to preserve and protect Wawasee Lake. The strategic goals of W.P.O.A. include areas such as boater education and water safety.
The donation was also made possible by a generous discount and the continuing community support of one of this area’s premier marinas, Griffith Wawasee Marina in Syracuse. The Sheriff’s Department and W.P.O.A. wish to thank Terry and Lisa Griffith and all their dedicated staff for their efforts that made this donation possible.
The boat is a new Boston Whaler Montauk 190 with a 150 Horsepower Mercury outboard engine. The boat is equipped with all the required emergency police equipment and is a fully functioning law enforcement patrol vehicle. While this boat will be stationed at Wawasee Lake, the donation package includes a boat trailer allowing this vessel the ability to respond to any lake in Kosciusko County should an emergency ever arise.
The Kosciusko Sheriff’s Department maintains a very active lake patrol program on the largest lakes in the county. The patrol program is a cooperative effort between the local lake property owner associations and the department. Lake patrol deputies patrol the lakes in the county during the summer recreational boating season and are strongly focused on promoting boater safety and education.
The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department is a charter participant in the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Marine Patrol Assistance Grant. Since 2005 and including the 2018 boating season, the Marine Patrol Assistance Grant has returned $319,000 to the citizens of Kosciusko County for lake patrol efforts. These grants are part of the larger Indiana Department of Natural Resources Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) Grant program which is funded by annual boat registration fees.