New boat lift for LBK Police will help with response time, increase patrol hours

The Longboat Key Police Department is improving its manpower on the water with a new boat lift on the south end of the island. 

The new solar-powered lift, located along the Dry Dock boat slips, brings the department’s total boat lifts to three — another one was built on town property on the north end and the department has a space at the Longboat Key Club Moorings. 

Having this new boat lift for the department’s marine patrol unit will help improve efficiency everywhere, according to Chief of Police George Turner. 

“It adds more time on the water, and it's much easier in off hours when we need to respond to something,” Turner said.

The department has had space at the Longboat Key Club Moorings since around 2001, according to Turner, but having a boat lift on both ends of the island was a long-term goal. 

About six months ago, the town installed a lift for the police department on the north end of the island at Broadway Street. This was town property, which made it easier to find a spot, according to Turner. 

But Turner said it took about a year of work to find space for a boat lift on the south end.

The town entered into a lease for $1 a year with Dry Dock for the space. The lift itself, though, was up to the town to fund. 

For both the north-end lift on Broadway Street and the one at the Dry Dock, the town spent $25,000, which was well within the department’s budget, Turner said.

Currently, the department has three different-sized vessels for marine patrols: 34 feet, 23 feet and 17 feet.

Turner said some part-time officers operate the boats and eight or nine patrol officers are now certified for marine patrols. The department is still advertising for more part-time boat operators, too. 

Marine patrol vessels go out every weekend and holiday, and wherever else they’re needed to respond to calls. 

Having these new lifts allows the department to already have boats in the water rather than having to haul the boats to a boat launch and deploy them, and then do the reverse after responding to a call. 

Turner said it used to take about an hour to get a vessel in or out of the water. Now, officers can just get to the vessel and lower into the water. 

“It helps us out with response time and also helps us out with manpower,” Turner said. “Hours on the water will be improved because you don’t have to worry about launching and taking them out of the water.”