Marine Unit & Dive Team

Marine Unit

The Village of Croton-on-Hudson is beautifully situated at the intersection of two rivers, the majestic Hudson and the smaller but no less beautiful Croton River.  These rivers, along with numerous ponds and lakes are part of what makes our community such a pleasant and desirable place to live.  However, our waterways and ponds make for unique challenges and the need for water specific Police patrol and rescue abilities.  

The Croton-on-Hudson Police Department has a Marine unit, consisting of two boats.  Both boats are used primarily on the Croton River.  While the department’s 17’ fiberglass center console is capable of patrolling the Hudson during calm water, it is not suitable for high wind, rough water patrol.  Unfortunately, rescues often need to be performed during rough water. The County of Westchester Department of Public Safety’s boats are better designed for the Hudson River and the County is responsible for patrolling the Hudson River from the New York City / Yonkers line to the Putnam County line, up and down the Hudson River.  An immense amount of area to patrol.   Along with the County patrol boats, the United States Coast Guard has jurisdiction on the Hudson River, but again, they are responsible for an immense amount of area.  The Hudson River can be quite busy with commercial boats year-round and during the summer months, recreational boats heavily populate the river.  It is a lot of area and many boaters in potential need of aid for the two main law enforcement agencies responsible for that area.  The County boat might be tied up assisting a boater in Yonkers while the Coast Guard assists a boater in Cold Spring, leaving very little assistance on the water for the many boaters in the vicinity just south of Croton Point and to our northern border a little past Skyview Rehabilitation and Nursing facility.  Croton Point has particularly rough currents around Teller’s Point where the Croton River and Hudson River meet.  Both boaters and swimmers can quickly find themselves in extreme danger with the fast moving and often confusing currents.   Ideally, Croton Police will one day have a boat better suited to the challenges of the Hudson River, enabling them to regularly patrol our Hudson River waterway during the busy summer months and better serve the needs of our many local boaters.

The Croton Police Department’s main area of boat patrol is the Croton River during the months of May through November, most heavily during the busy summer months of June through late August.  While the Croton River covers several Police jurisdictions, they are the only police presence on the river. The Department utilizes two boats, a 17’ center console and a smaller inflatable / Zodiac boat.  The 17’center console allows the officers access to all sides of the boat to assist in rescues, however it is nearing the end of its life span and is not well suited to the tidal and shallow Croton River.  The boat’s relative deep draft for the shallow river encumbers the department’s ability to patrol the river during low tide, when the boat is unable to access the river at Mayo’s Landing, where it is shallow and extremely rocky.  An extremely low tide, caused by a full or new moon may further impact the ability to take the boat further upriver than just south of Mayo’s Landing. Even if not during low tide, the boat at times must be pulled / walked past that particularly shallow and rocky spot.  Unfortunately, much of the river use during the summer months occurs at Mayo’s Landing and upriver from Mayo’s Landing. 

While the 17’ center console boat is used primarily for patrol work on the river, the department also has a Zodiac boat that is better suited for “swift water rescue.”  During springtime and strong weather events such as hurricanes, the Croton River can be extremely fast moving and unfortunately, deadly. And while the Zodiac boat is not the ideal boat for this type of duty, it is superior to the 17’ center console.

The Department does the best it can to work around the restrictive natural limits of the Croton River, and the boats not ideally suited for the conditions of the river, to provide the most effective and pro-active patrol they can. However, their limited ability to patrol the river can have serious repercussions. When police might be most needed, they are not always able to be there. In the past, the Unique Gorge area /Fireman’s Island area has had upwards of 400 people utilizing the water and riverbanks in one day.  Mayo’s Landing might have 40 – 50 swimmers on a hot summer’s day. There are no lifeguards and swimmers can easily drown in the often-swift moving and tidal water.  While at times the river may seem idyllic, the riverbanks drop off suddenly, leaving someone wading up to their knees in sudden danger.   Although not a safety issue, quality of life issues are also an important need for a police presence on the Croton River.  Residents whose homes border the river have a difficult time with too frequent loud music, trespassing, and dangerous fires used for grilling.  Garbage left on the riverbanks is also another issue residents and people who use the river must contend with.  Wildlife that calls the river home also must contend with loud music, garbage, and human waste.  The police boat patrol acts not only as a law enforcement presence but as a steward of the river, reminding people to not use fires, play loud music, or leave garbage behind.  They also remind boaters of the rules for life jackets for children under the age of 12. Our Police also enjoy taking time to meet and talk with people, extending the Croton Police’s community policing focus to our river.

While boat patrol sounds like an enjoyable assignment, and it well can be, it also requires training.  Officers who operate the boat take a basic boater’s course to learn the rules and regulations of operating a boat.  Some of the boat patrol officers have taken a two-week New York State boat course geared towards Law Enforcement.  The extensive training includes not only boat safety, rules of the water, docking, boarding, night boating and general operation and maintenance of a boat, but also the water rescue and enforcing the law on the water. Croton is working towards receiving this training for all their boat operators; however, this course is highly sought after in the state and has limited openings.   This rigorous class is free to the municipality.  The Croton Police Boats are equipped with rescue flotation devices, but unfortunately, while all officers receive CPR and AED training, the specific training for rescuing a drowning person is not part of Croton Police Training.

Dive Team

The Marine unit is just one part of the department’s water patrol and expertise.  The department also has another vital component of policing, the dive team. Although our waterways look inviting and at times, deceptively safe, from time to time, people find themselves in serious trouble and the dive team is called.   While the team has lost several experienced members to retirement over the course of time, the department is working to rebuild this vital unit.  The team consists of divers trained to varying levels, with each member striving to achieve the next level, all the way up to Master Diver.  Experience is gained through training and personal time used to further their diving interests.  Officers on the dive team often enjoy diving while on vacation. New York State offers specific training for law enforcement rescue divers and Croton is pursuing this valuable training for all Dive team members.

Maintaining a Dive team can require staff hours for training but also for rescues.  However, when living with two rivers and numerous lakes and ponds, a dive team is not an option, it is a vital part of the department’s mission of serving our residents.  The dive team must be trained and prepared to respond in all weather conditions. While one mainly thinks of a dive team rescuing a person, the team may also need to retrieve evidence of a crime.  Ideally, a rescue team will consist of 2 primary divers, one boat operator and an additional 2 divers to assist if the initial divers are in danger or have exceeded the recommended hours of dive time.  Our waterways, and especially the Croton River consist of deep pockets of water but also hidden objects such as trees.  The trees in the water can pose a danger to divers with the possibility of equipment getting caught up in difficult to see tree limbs, and the rescuers may find themselves needing rescue.  An additional 2 divers are not a luxury, but a necessity. All divers are equipped with tanks, wet suits, dry suits, masks, regulators, and fins.  Equipment must be maintained yearly by a certified dive shop.

Our majestic Hudson, bucolic Croton River, and ponds and lakes provide Croton residents with many opportunities to enjoy nature, swimming, and boating. The Village of Croton-on-Hudson police department is deeply committed to keeping all our residents safe in all water centered recreation.

This article was written by members of the Police Advisory Committee as part of the Community Information Project.