Sheriff’s Office Statement on Marine Unit Operations

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office is aware of recent CBS News reporting regarding the Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit and patrol coverage on the Fox River. Because that report did not include important operational context, we want to provide a more complete picture. 

 The Fox River is subject to state jurisdiction and oversight. The Sheriff’s Office has long committed additional local resources in a cooperative effort to provide another layer of public safety on the water, because the river is an important part of McHenry County and having trained law enforcement personnel on the water provides an additional public safety resource for our residents and visitors.   The geography of the waterway presents operational realities. The Fox River and Chain O’ Lakes system includes more than 30 miles of river between the Wisconsin state line and the Algonquin Dam. The Stratton Lock and Dam divides significant portions of that waterway.  Operationally, the Sheriff’s Office utilizes separate boats to provide coverage north and south of the dam.  Our Marine Unit operations also present unique staffing challenges. These are seasonal, part-time assignments that must be filled by qualified law enforcement personnel. Our regular full-time patrol deputies cannot simply be reassigned to fill these seasonal positions because employee classifications and collective bargaining agreements govern those assignments. As a result, the Marine Unit relies on a limited pool of qualified law enforcement personnel who are willing and available to work seasonal part-time shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays, while often maintaining other law enforcement employment. Marine Unit personnel are currently compensated at $25 per hour. Like any seasonal operation, having budgeted personnel hours does not automatically mean qualified personnel are available to fill every potential shift. The Marine Unit personnel also begin training approximately one month before the traditional boating season to meet required training and state mandates. Our regular boating season generally runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day, with operations sometimes continuing beyond Labor Day depending upon weather and river conditions.   Taken together, these factors matter when discussing coverage. The size and geography of the waterway, required training, available personnel, and seasonal scheduling mean the Marine Unit cannot be everywhere on the river at every hour of every day. Our responsibility is to deploy the qualified personnel and resources available where and when we believe they can provide the greatest public safety benefit.   Regarding the specific boating incident referenced in recent discussions, McHenry County Dispatch received no 911calls regarding the boat in question prior to the incident, and the Marine Unit was not operating on the river prior to the event. That information had previously been provided by our Office in response to questions about the incident.  We also want to clarify the suggestion that the Sheriff’s Office denied a request for comment.  A request was sent to a general Sheriff’s Office email late in the day which did not allow the Office a meaningful opportunity to gather and provide the information outlined above before the reporter’s deadline. We remain available to any media outlet seeking information about our operations.  McHenry County is facing difficult budget decisions. We respect that reality and take our role as stewards of taxpayer resources seriously. There is always room for honest discussion about priorities and spending, but those discussions should be grounded in complete and accurate information. Our commitment is to provide those facts, remain transparent, and continue doing everything we reasonably can to keep McHenry County safe. /end/