Granite Shoals, Sunrise Beach Village partner on joint Lake LBJ patrols
A boat owned by the Granite Shoals Police Department is used for joint lake patrols on Lake LBJ during holiday weekends. Staff photo
The Granite Shoals Police Department and Sunrise Beach Village Police Department will now partner on holiday weekend patrols on Lake LBJ, an effort aimed at increasing safety during peak boating periods.
The agreement, approved during the April 28 council meeting, outlines coordinated patrols during Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day, continuing a partnership used in previous years to boost law enforcement presence on the water.
Granite Shoals will provide boats, equipment and one marine enforcement safety officer, while Sunrise Beach will assign a second certified officer to meet the two-officer requirement.
Each agency will enforce laws within its own jurisdiction, with officers authorized to issue citations and make arrests. Both departments will cover their own staffing, equipment and liability costs, and police chiefs John Ortis of Granite Shoals and Laurie Brock of Sunrise Beach Village will oversee joint operations.
Ortis said during the meeting that the goal is to maintain safety for boaters and visitors during some of the lake’s busiest weekends.