Lack of police patrols on Fox River adds to safety concerns after deadly boating crash
Safety concerns continue to linger following a deadly incident on the Chain of Lakes this summer.
One of those concerns? The lack of law enforcement presence on the water, especially on weekends.
The McHenry County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit has four boats, but there were multiple weekends this summer when none of them were scheduled to be out.
It was on the McHenry County side of the Fox River where Magdalena Jablonska, 48, lost her life.
Prosecutors say Richard Stevenson, 45, was driving a pontoon over 70 miles per hour when it crashed into the boat Jablonska was in. That was on July 25.
That weekend, CBS Chicago found that no McHenry County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit patrols were scheduled on the water. It was learned that on more than 20 Saturdays and Sundays this past summer, no Marine Unit crews were scheduled.
"That's a bit shocking for us because on the weekends is when a lot of people are out there, so you'd think there would be a greater presence," said Joe Keller, executive director of the Fox River Waterway Agency.
The Chain of Lakes stretches across McHenry and Lake counties — meaning multiple agencies have jurisdiction on the water.
"We obviously are out looking for impaired operators, careless and reckless behavior," said Sergeant Michael McCarty, with the Lake County Sheriff's Office marine unit.
The unit has 4 patrol boats plus 4 other boats they use to monitor activity. They also have patrols on their side of the waterway every weekend.
Back on the McHenry side, the unit issued no speeding tickets in the last two years, although there are no speed limits during the day on the chain. Only one arrest for operating while intoxicated was made in the last four years.
"Depending on where the jurisdiction was, that would be a little surprising," McCarty said.
The total budget for the McHenry County Marine Unit was $63,000 this year. That includes utilities, fuel, and maintenance.
"The size of the patrol unit, boating patrol for police departments, is so small compared to the rest of the department," said Brady Ruel with Boat Safe Chicago.
The unit also says it is difficult to patrol the 7,000 acres that make up the system.
"If all the law enforcement agencies that patrol the Chain O'Lakes had every asset available to them on patrol, we can't be everywhere all the time," McCarty said.
Illinois conservation police also patrol both sides of the chain.
CBS News Chicago reached out to the McHenry County Sheriff's Office about the patrol numbers, but has yet to hear back.
