Marine Patrol and Dive Team
The Marine Unit patrols the county’s coastline and inland waterways; BSO's Dive Team is often called upon to provide emergency rescue operations.
Broward County's extensive coastline, inland waterways, canals and thousands of acres of Everglades present unique challenges for law enforcement and emergency rescue operations. The responsibility to meet these challenges falls to BSO's Marine Unit, consisting of the Marine Patrol and the Dive Rescue Team.
The Marine Patrol enforces marine laws and ordinances and provides high-visibility patrol in county waterways, investigates boating accidents and related crime scenes and offers boating education and safety courses to the approximately 45,000 registered pleasure craft operators in the area.
In addition to operating it's regular fleet, BSO introduced a unique vessel in February, 2004. The RIB (rigid inflatable boat) is specially equipped with state-of-the-art technology and patrols the waters of Port Everglades, protecting ships, cargo and passengers. The vessel is designed for anti-terrorism surveillance, high speed response and search and rescue missions. The boat was christened "Deputy Philip G. Billings," honoring the memory of the BSO deputy who gave his life in the line of duty in April, 2003.
The Marine Patrol also directs the county's hurricane flotilla plan, guiding thousands of vessels to safe harbor when severe weather conditions threaten. In the county's western areas, the Patrol covers thousands of acres of Florida's Everglades via airboat, protecting one of the world's most unique conservation areas.
BSO's Dive Rescue Team is called upon in emergency situations when life or property is threatened in any county waterway. In addition, they provide underwater recovery efforts for fatalities and vehicles and are responsible for investigating underwater crime scenes. The 35 members of the Dive Team are from the Marine Patrol Unit and from throughout the Agency.
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