Oregon State Marine Board News Oregon's Recreational Boating Agency Media Contact: Randy Henry, ext. 247     Home Page:  www.osmb.state.or.us

Lake Billy Chinook Patrol Yields 11 Arrests, 52 Citations

"This was our third saturation patrol so far this season and was, once again, very successful," said Pat Rowland, Law Enforcement Training Coordinator for the Oregon State Marine Board. Officers from Benton, Deschutes, Douglas, Jackson, Jefferson, Klamath, Linn, Lane, Marion, and Tillamook counties, as well as the Marine Board, participated in the enforcement/training exercise. During the three days, officers contacted 157 watercraft, including 122 boats and 35 personal watercraft.

"The most common problem we found was people not having their certificate of numbers on board," said Rowland. "The next most common problems were discharged fire extinguishers and a lack of Type IV throwable personal flotation device, which is required on all craft 16 feet or longer. We issued warnings for these violations."

Officers cited four boat operators for lack of sufficient PFDs, arrested 11 boaters for BUII, and cited four more for riding on the bow of the boat. Personal watercraft operators also received some attention - officers issued 13 citations for exceeding "slow-no wake" zone speeds, and 11 citations for violating speed and proximity rules.

"These patrols are an efficient and effective way to let people know that they need to abide by Oregon's boating regulations," said Rowland. "These rules are there for safety purposes - obeying them can save your life. Lake Billy Chinook is one of the state's busiest waterways and accounts for a large portion of the state's boating accidents. Patrols like this reduce accidents."

Additional saturation patrols are scheduled throughout the summer on other waterbodies.