Underwater Search by Police and Dive Teams
Many government agencies and public safety dive teams are adding underwater search equipment to help make their operations easier, safer and faster. Boston Police Special Operations Unit, Tafton Fire Company in Pennsylvania, Benton County and Baxter County Sheriffs Departments in Arkansas, and the Missouri State Water Patrol, all in the USA, are just a few of the diverse group of agencies using ROVs, metal detectors, video cameras and sonar in their search missions.
Every year the city of Boston, Massachusetts hosts several major events which bring in millions of people. The police department’s Special Operations Division plans for, and responds to, major emergencies that happen during these events, as well as natural or man-made disasters. The division maintains a number of support units complete with specialised equipment and, since the city includes 41 square miles of water, much of it is designed for the marine environment. When it comes to Boston Harbor; as many criminals have discovered...what goes in, will come out, and its usually the Boston Police Department bringing the evidence to the surface. To assist in these operations the division has acquired JW Fishers SeaLion-2 ROV. The remote-controlled underwater vehicle is equipped with four high-resolution colour cameras, can descend to depths up to 1,000 feet, and operate in currents up to 4 knots. The ROV is also equipped with a scanning sonar which allows the operator to see a 400 foot diameter area around the vehicle, regardless of water clarity, an essential feature when working in the murky harbour. The SeaLion can check ship hulls for drugs or contraband, inspect underwater structures for explosives, search for drowning victims, and locate weapons and other evidence disposed of in the city’s waterways.
The town of Tafton in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains is bordered by Lake Waleenpaupack, the state’s 3rd largest lake covering more that 5,700 acres. To better respond in emergencies, the Tafton Fire Company put together a Water Rescue Team with specially trained members equipped to deal with incidents involving open water, swift water and rapid deployment search-rescue/recovery. In addition to some diving equipment, the team also secured a sonar system, JW Fishers SSS-600K sidescan sonar. The sonar proved instrumental when looking for a sunken boat that divers had attempted to find for 3 days. Mr Tandy reported that it took 8 minutes to locate the vessel using their sidescan sonar.
Benton County and Baxter County Sheriffs Departments in Arkansas both have dive teams employing JW Fishers TOV-1 towed video system in their search operations. The advantage of the TOV-1 is its ability to stay submerged all day and night, and it can be towed to depths greater than public safety divers are allowed to descend. Baxter County’s Lt. Rick Lucy reports the TOV-1 has been used extensively in their search operations and has helped locate several drowning victims. Benton County’s Deputy Doug Gay says their video system has saved many hours of dive time and increases safety when the camera is put down in areas where it is difficult or dangerous to deploy divers.
Image: Members of Boston Police Department’s Special Operations Unit with their JW Fishers SeaLion-2 ROV. Inset: Sidescan image of boat found by Tafton Fire Company.
