Michigan City Police Sergeant Greg Jesse surfaces with the windshield/cockpit cover with the GoPro camera attached.
Back on shore, Sgt. Jesse checks over the GoPro camera following the recovery.
Story and photos by Mike Kellems (click on photos to enlarge)
At the beginning of 2015, Michigan City Police and the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office combined their respective dive teams with the goal of doubling manpower and resources. The joint team effort allows for faster response to dive emergencies throughout LaPorte County, as well as provides manpower depth.
Dive operations can often take several hours, if not days, and can be physically taxing. By doubling the team’s strength, divers can cover more area and extend operations longer than in the past.
On Wednesday, June 10, the combined team met for monthly training at LaPorte’s Stone Lake with a twofold purpose: check out dives of new team members and go on a search mission. During the recent boat races on Stone Lake, one of the boats lost a part of its windshield and cowling that had a GoPro camera attached. Two of the team members were able to recover the missing items, which will be returned to the boat owner.
“This is just one of the ways that the cooperative effort in law enforcement allows us to better serve the citizens of LaPorte County,” Sheriff John Boyd said.
“Without expending any extra tax dollars we have doubled the level of service that the dive team provides, which is not only a plus for our citizens, it helps to provide a much greater level of service for the thousands of beachgoers at Lake Michigan and all of the inland lakes in LaPorte County,” Michigan City Police Chief Mark Swistek said.