Shreveport Police Dept.

Date: June 30, 2006

Phone: 318/673-6932 Fax: 318/673-6933

Contact: Kacee Hargrave, Public Information Officer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPD receives 2 boats to help patrol Cross Lake

Officers with the Cross Lake Patrol have not just one, but two new reasons to love their jobs. Reeves Marine donated two boats this morning at a special presentation. The second boat was a total surprise, donated in honor of a Reeves owner who died three years ago today.

The new boats are Lowe Roughneck’s valued at approximately $5,000 It is a flat bottom boat that is nearly 20 feet long and 83 inches wide.

The first boat donated was used in Hurricane Katrina by the New Orleans Police Department. It saved at least 300 people from the flood waters.

The extra boats will allow officers to patrol the waters, looking for drunken boaters, checking for safety violations and generally patrolling the waters.

It appears that boaters themselves are taking recent DWI warnings seriously. An unannounced operation this weekend warranted only a few DWI arrests - and none of those were actually of boat drivers on the lake.

The operation took place Saturday, with officers patrolling the lake and areas around the lake. They gave 11 traffic citations, eight speeding tickets, one citation for driving with a suspended license and one citation for no seat belt.

Cross Lake Patrol officers wrote four violations involving Careless and Reckless Operation of Watercraft and having an insufficient number of life jackets on board.

A new Cross Lake Patrol Support Group has been formed to help the officers with several needs, including a new boat house, which - thanks to the latest donations - is filling up!

Anyone who would like to participate in the support group, or donated funds to the cause, may call the Cross Lake Patrol Office at 673-7245.

-spd-

View all SPD press releases at www.ci.shreveport.la.us/dept/police/spdnews