Sheriff’s office marine unit, deputy earn honors

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office marine unit received a statewide honor this past month, with a marine deputy also being recognized for his work with safety education.

The agency’s marine unit was selected as the 2015 Marine Law Enforcement Program of the Year at the annual Washington State Marine Law Enforcement Conference in Tacoma.

The sheriff’s office marine unit patrols 44 miles of the Columbia River, 25 miles of smaller rivers and lakes, and Yale and Merwin reservoirs. The unit is active in marine education, enforcement and safety issues, and partners with other agencies — including child safety advocates — to provide water safety programs to the boating public.

The sheriff’s office marine unit, which includes two full-time marine deputies, participates in events such as the Hazel Dell Parade of Bands and other boating safety events. After the unit noticed it was writing tickets to a lot of Eastern Europeans using the waterways, it did an outreach effort to the Russian-speaking community in the spring.

Lead Marine Deputy Todd Baker was selected as the 2015 Marine Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for his work in boating and water safety education to both the public and senior instructors at the Basic Marine Law Enforcement Academy. He also received the 2015 Award of Merit at the International Boating and Water Safety Summit in Destin, Fla.

“I’m just lucky to have a job that I love so much,” he said. Baker added that he and the county are lucky to have a sheriff and administration that supports the marine program.

Some programs around the state aren’t year-round, Baker explained.

“The Columbia River is very busy year-round with yachts, paddle craft and everything,” he said.

Baker said the marine unit’s work is important because Washington ranks in the top five states in boating fatalities per capita.

“We’ll just continue on doing what we do and try to do it well,” he said.