Clayton County, Iowa

What's New in County 22 - May 2012

This last month at the sheriff’s office we have been extremely busy and you can tell spring has sprung, and summer is almost here.  It is also a time when we get our county boat in the water and do a little patrol.  This spring you will notice we have purchased a different boat and sold our old boat to the Guttenberg Fire Department.  The old boat was more of a flat bottom that hit the waves pretty hard which made it difficult to get somewhere on a windy day.  We purchased a used “V” bottom for $1,000 dollars less than what we sold our old boat for.  We wanted a “V” bottom because most of the time we go to the river for a drowning, we provide security and assist in keeping boaters away from the fire departments dragging operations to keep everyone safe.
 I’ve been asked why do we need a boat and why do we patrol the river?  Well, I believe in trying to provide security and comfort knowing your sheriff’s department is there to protect you and make sure you have a safe and enjoyable time.  Isn’t that what we all want, to have the best days of our life and not the worst?  We also patrol the state highways, state parks, and cities and don’t get questioned why we do that?  Law abiding citizens don’t mind us out on the river and believe me we get more compliments than complaints.  We assist the Iowa and Wisconsin DNR, U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, Crawford County, Grant Count and we all work together and they assist us when needed.  We are lucky enough to have DNR Conservation Officers Burt Walters and Jerry Farmer in our county.  Burt knows the river so well I believe he could drive the 42 miles of Mississippi river in Clayton County blindfolded.  Chief Deputy Ryan Johnson and Reserve Officer John Bell have also taken a proactive approach to our river patrol and I’d like to thank them for their efforts!

Our original boat was purchased with grant money from the Upper Mississippi Gaming Corp. with the agreement we would have a regular patrol on the river to make it safer to the citizens of this county.  Normally we have one full time and one part time deputy on the boat on a one day a weekend average.  The Clayton County line actually goes to the middle of the main channel no matter if it is more towards Wisconsin or Iowa.  Also in 1980 the State of Iowa had 84,000 boats registered.  This last year was over 300,000!  The river gains more and more recreational usage every year.  With the increase in usage also comes the same problems found inland in any given neighborhood;  drunkenness, drugs, accidents, fights, domestic assaults, sexual assaults, thefts, medical emergencies and yes even death. 
 
Here are some stats over the last two years;
 

2010
Adult Contacts	229
Child Contacts	78
Boat Safety Inspections	63
Personal Watercraft Inspection	8
Warnings	57
Citations	3

 

2011
Adult Contacts	299
Child Contacts	79
Boat Safety Inspections	69
Personal Watercraft Inspections	14
Warnings	71
Citations	0

 
Over the course of the last few years officers have noticed boaters are being more responsible and having designated drivers if they have been drinking alcohol.  With the stats I’ve listed above, I believe it is obvious our objective is to make the river a safer place for people to boat and not just a place for us to write a bunch of citations.
 
If you have any questions, or comments, feel free to contact me anytime, e-mail me, or stop by to see me.
 
Thanks and be safe,
 
Sheriff Mike Tschirgi

Last Updated on Thursday, 27 December 2012 10:54