Totally Avoidable Boat Accident

cops should leave the water to the coast guard.

Yesterday at Everett the coast guard was doing safety inspections at the dock. Saw my USCG safety sticker and just kept walking. It was good to see them there instead of the Everett police.
 
I'll chime in....

It is the officer's responsibility to operate his vehicle, whether iut be a boat, patrol car or m/c, in a safe and prudent manner and not risk the public, even while running "code". Those lights and siren don't give you carte' blanch....
 
Unfortunately there are times that law officers are not adequately trained in boat handling or in the dangers of boat handling. I have seen the results of this on several occasions. On the other hand the Coast Guard has also caused problems--such as the death of a child in a boat which was watching the Christmas Parade Dec 20 2009, when a CG boat responding to a non emergency event hit the recreational boat at 25 knots. There are a number of other incidents such as the one at Clear Lake by an off duty SO.

Everyone, LEO or not has the responsibility to be aware of all other boats and any dangers when they are on the water--even if responding to a distress call.
 
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