More financial pressure on the NH Marine Patrol

[Airwaves]

Just ahead, more financial pressure on the Marine Patrol and given the way they are funded something is going to have to give.

First there is the possibility of this unnecessary speed limit bill that will do nothing to make Lake Winnipesaukee safer but could possibly make the lake a less safe place to boat and swim because manpower will have to be diverted, becoming law. Now Homeland Security has come up with a strategy for recreational boats, to be developed and enforced by the states making recreational boaters the “Neighborhood Crime Watch” of the water.

“Officials today were to announce a plan calling on states to develop and enforce safety standards for recreational boaters and asking boaters to look for and report suspicious behavior on the water - much like a neighborhood watch program.”

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/wa...y_for_boaters/

How will this impact Lake Winnipesaukee, after all there are no tankers etc plying our waters?

Manpower will have to be deployed to target marinas along the coast and where do you think they are going to get the additional manpower from? Winnipesaukee has the largest concentration of MP Officers in the state so that’s where they’ll get them.

So, a reduction in safety patrols to establish radar posts, and now the likelihood that Marine Patrol boats and crews will be needed along the seacoast. These don’t look like ways to keep Lake Winnipesaukee safe to me!