Lake Division Officers Have all the Cool Toys

His truck is outfitted with an additional 750 pounds of gear—bumper guards, radio, center console, computer, lights, radar, camera. On an average day he’ll put a good 50-100 miles on it—hard miles, driving down rutted and gouged dirt roads, ascending rocky hills where narrow roads once were and weaving through parks, reeds and brush in dried out lakebeds.

San Angelo Police Department Lake Division Officer Tyrel Berrie spends 10 hours a shift patrolling a sector that is larger than the city itself, looking after hunters and fishermen, boat operators, campers and Nasworthy residents. The lake division was once its own department and the officers wear their own uniforms: black cargo pants paired with navy and bright blue polos that set them apart from the cops in the city, even though they do step in and help sometimes—the winter months are slow in Sector 4.

Today, Berrie’s day begins as usual. He picks up his truck at the station and starts checking any pending calls for service in his sector that have not yet been attended. There’s one open and a fellow Lake Division Officer, James Beddo, is already on scene awaiting Berrie’s arrival; he needs the fingerprinting kit.

Pulling up next to a row of parked RVs for sale, Berrie climbs out of his white F-150 and fishes the kit out of his equipment box. A burglar has broken into an RV parked on the public lot and stolen some electronic equipment, and the officer intends to check for traces of evidence inadvertently left behind. Handing off the kit to Beddo, Berrie circles the exterior, snapping pictures for evidentiary purposes before contacting the owner of a second RV sitting just yards away. He wants to make sure none of her items have been removed as well.

Meanwhile, Beddo dusts doorknobs and other surfaces inside the RV with a fine black powder that adheres to oily residues left by contact with human skin. When he finds what appears to be a full or partial print, he lifts the dust with a sticky tape and carefully stores it for later processing.

Having passed off the camera’s memory card and spoken with the second RV’s owner, Berrie climbs back into his truck to get going for the day. His schedule isn’t set and varies greatly from winter to summer, but he likes the autonomy. “Lake units are very independent, we’re autonomous, we determine what we’re going to do and what order we’re going to do it,” he says. “As long as I know what’s going on out here, it doesn’t matter in which order I do it, just so long as it gets done.

“As far as what determines what I do, first you take care of your pending calls. Secondly, you’ll go through the parks and make sure there hasn’t been any criminal mischief, there’s not anything that looks like there may be problems later on,” he continues. “If you get a large group of people, you see an overloaded boat, you see a campsite that’s getting rowdy—that’s the stuff that we know we’re going keep an eye on later…all of our activities out here revolve around alcohol.”

Berrie explains that the Lake Division functions a lot differently than regular city patrol and is highly dependent on the season. In wintertime, calls for service drop drastically and he’ll have an average of 8-10 encounters per shift. In the summertime, he says, that can go up to as high as 30.

“In the summer, I’ve done up to 25-30 calls for service—that’s including like three arrests, 30 citations, on a busy summer day,” he says. “You can just really get busy out here on a summer day, because it’s just every 10 feet there’s something else that needs your attention.”

Although they start on patrol in the city like every other officer, the Lake Division does have its differences. The most obvious is the unique set of toys available to get the job done. Sector 4 officers make use of two police boats, a few four-wheel vehicles and their off road trucks. They are also required to have additional training specific to the demands of the job.  

“Any division is going to require extensive training,” Berrie says. “Here, at the lake, you have to have several certifications. You have to have your boat operator license…[and] you’ll have Marine Safety Enforcement Officer. You’re required to be certified as MSEO before you can enforce any of the provisions under Texas Parks and Wildlife,” he says. The water stuff.

Park Policing

Pulling into Middle Concho Park, Berrie slows his speed and cruises along, taking note of groups of campers and fishermen scattered along the water’s edge. He’s looking for a number of things, he explains, and pauses briefly to point them out. Camping permits, cleanliness and prohibited items pique his visual radar.

The day is warm and the area is busier than it has been in previous weeks, and safety is priority, he says. Fires burn in pits and the smell of steak rises in the air—Officer Berrie scans to make sure each fire is contained, noting that a burn ban is still in effect and there will be no exceptions.

So far, no violators. No teens running around with beer cans or looking a bit too wobbly on their legs, no glass containers sitting anywhere in sight, trash appears to be contained and the music at the various sites is down.

He rolls on, still scanning, making note of anyone he might want to revisit later. Just before leaving the park, he spots a vehicle with a makeshift tarp awning tied up in the trees behind it, several fishing poles and ice chests strewn about, and a little less overall organization than was witnessed at the other sites. “We’ll come back by and check on him later,” he says. Then, instinctively, “He’ll be here for a while.”

Having made his way from Grassy Meadows down to the Twin Buttes south shore, Berrie motions at a yellow page landscape spanning the dried lakebed. “We’re supposed to be under water right now,” he says, noting how low the water level has dropped. “Someone came and dumped a load of phonebooks out here, then it rained, and now it looks like this.” Random sheets of thin, yellowed paper stand plastered against dried grass and brush. ‘Illegal dumping is a problem out here,’ he continues, ‘that’s why there have been so many gates put up.’

Berrie says that the majority of dumping is landscaping or building materials, and that it’s not as bad as it once was. Again, he checks for fires while patrolling the relatively unpopulated area, then heads out to meet with Beddo again at the division’s storage unit.

Cruising the Lake

Behind a door of corrugated metal lies the machine that really makes a lake officer: the 21-foot-long, center console Majek patrol boat. Decked with a 225 horsepower outboard motor, the Majek can easily cruise at 60 mph, and is outfitted with sonar, police radio, lights, a mobile video system and an intercom. A jack plate and motor trim make it possible to cruise at depths of as little as 1 foot, and the officers try to be self-sufficient as far as emergency maintenance goes.

As Beddo backs the trailer down into the water, Berrie turns the key and starts the motor, then reverses away from the ramp. Boating isn’t his favorite part of the job, he explains, and turns control over to Beddo as he returns from parking the truck and trailer to board the boat.

Easing out of the no wake zone, Beddo glances over. “Are y’all ready?” he asks, then waits for the nod before giving it gas and heading out onto the lake. Unusually warm weather has attracted a few boaters this late afternoon, several cruising leisurely while others stay anchored with three or more fishing poles cast overboard.

As the boat glides over the water, the officers scan passing vessels and parties on the shoreline. Out here they’re primarily looking for unsafe boat operations, but today they also want to make sure the Majek is operable and functioning properly since it hasn’t seen much sunlight since the winter set in.

Slowing to a torpid drive, Beddo checks the sonar and begins raising the motor. The lake is 3 feet deep beneath him and the water is getting thinner. ‘It’s 2.6 feet here,’ he says, noting that this is the area the annual drag boat races take place. If he hadn’t raised the motor in time, he’d have buried it in mud.

As an older boat creeps past, the officers examine the sticker stuck to the exterior. “There is such a thing as a safety check that we can check any boat at any time,” Berrie explains on-board operations. “It’s going to be your lighting, sound-making device, lifejackets for everyone that’s on board, your certificate and number and your registration. Most people generally have all those things,” he said.

The most common infractions have “got to be minor stuff like expired registration or not having a certificate, a number, that would be the equivalent to like an expired registration sticker on your car, which is also very common,” he said.

The prevalence of alcohol on the lake spills over into boating patrol duties as well, Berrie says, although they are a little more difficult to catch than on the street. Berrie estimates that last year the Lake Division and Parks and Wildlife issued roughly a dozen boating while intoxicated citations, two of which he issued himself.

“The difference between a BWI and DWI, there’s not very many regulations that tell you how fast you can drive, or where you have to drive, it’s kind of a free-for-all on the water. So it’s far more difficult to find a boat that is doing something wrong that attracts your attention to it, because everybody operates a boat in a wild and crazy manner. You’re doing circles and driving real fast and stopping and starting, where if you did that on the highway, it would immediately stand out. You can also have open containers on boats, where you can’t have open containers in a car, so you drive up and the driver of a boat is putting one down and it’s not illegal,” he explains.

For the most part, a boat operator has to be pretty drunk to draw enough attention to himself to the point where a BWI investigation is necessary, Berrie says, however they do conduct random safety checks and monitor boat traffic while on the water in an attempt to stave off excessive alcohol consumption. Should a BWI investigation be deemed necessary, the suspect is brought back on land for a 15-minute observation period, which allows him to get his land legs back, then run through a standard field sobriety test.

Operations on the water generally require at least two officers on board the boat, primarily because a single officer can’t safely approach another vessel. Approaches are paramount to policing the water, and one officer is needed to “catch” the other boat while other manipulates the vessel up to it.

“Making approaches that we do with the boat is something a normal person would never do,” Berrie says. “You never get close to somebody’s $80-120,000 boat. We do it all the time and in terrible conditions. The waves are up and everything and we’re required to jockey this police boat into within six inches or a foot of the other person’s boat without touching the thing. That requires a fair bit of practice and skill.”

This afternoon there will be no approaches, and the old boat slides by, all stickers still valid. The occupants raise their hands and smile as they pass the officers, a common practice around the parks and lake. Everyone seems to be upbeat.

After scanning the reaches of Lake Nasworthy, the boat is docked until “dark-thirty” in case a second outing is called for. There are still a number of vessels on the water, but there are other areas of the sector to explore.

Hunting Areas

Back on land, Berrie prepares to head to Spring Creek Park when a call for a motor vehicle accident comes through in his sector. The call notes indicate a hit and run, and a motorist has been run off the road. Berrie heads to the scene of the crash, where a single vehicle sits on the grassy shoulder. The vehicle hasn't been hit and there will be no crash report, however Berrie pulls out a blue form and hands it to the driver. Her insurance company will want her to fill out the information and the instructions are on the back. He asks if she needs help getting the vehicle off the grass or any further assistance, and when she declines, returns to his vehicle. 

Driving through Spring Creek Park he follows the same procedure as before, and everything appears to be in order. Next on the list is the expanse of Hunting Area 1, a stretch of city-owned land that lies beyond its limits. Entering the area, which can take up to 45 minutes just to drive through, Berrie spots a pair of dogs who run alongside the truck, barking loudly.

Looking over at them, he explains his procedure. ‘Right now I’m looking at these dogs. One of them has got a collar on so there’s probably an owner out here.’ Either that or they’ve been dumped, and he’s betting on the owner.

Patrolling the hunting areas is not the same as cruising through parks. Berrie says, “Out here, you’ll just roll up on anything. Look for the windshield glass and the glint off of it. As you approach, you want to look out into the bushes, because they’ll (the hunters) see you before you see them. They’re armed and they’ve probably been drinking.”

Berrie says he always uses extreme caution when patrolling the area, because he doesn’t want to shock anyone who might be out with a gun. When approaching, he says, he always immediately assesses a person’s demeanor and tries to determine if there is any danger. Since most hunters are fairly well camouflaged, reflected sunlight off windshields is usually easier to spot. The hunters are often nearby, he says.

Traveling slowly up the road, he catches a conspicuous reflection up on the left, which turns out to be a large truck. On the right, a man is approaching on foot and he doesn't appear to be hunting. As he pulls up to the man Officer Berrie asks, “Are you missing some dogs?” The man looks back at Berrie. He is. Two of them, in fact and they’ve been good all day. Berrie directs him to where the animals were and advises he may want to get his truck, they’re pretty far away at this point.

As the man moves on, Berrie notes that he’s now tied all three things together: the dogs, the man and the truck. Out here, it’s important to know what’s what.

Sector 3

Having checked out the hunting areas and reminded a few people of the burn ban, Berrie takes a look at the pending calls in the city. “The Lake Division is a specialized division but we’re also regular patrol,” he explains. “We’re kind of unique in that we have an area we’re responsible for, but we’re versatile enough that we assist with other things. We’ll keep track of the unit summary. We’ll see what’s pending, we’ll see where everybody’s at, at all times.”

At the moment, there are four pending calls in Sector 3 and the units patrolling that sector are tied up on other calls. Berrie notifies dispatch that he’s going to take over a call at HEB involving a solicitor and the manager on duty.

The call had come in several minutes prior and the solicitor had already left when it was made, but the manager still wished to file a complaint. Apparently, the man had been soliciting money from HEB customers in the parking lot and had reacted with verbal aggression when asked to leave. Since the solicitor is no longer on the property and the license plate is unknown, there isn't much that can be done. 

Berrie advises that the manager call 911 should the man come back, and returns to the truck to check for additional calls.

“A lot of times before a shift change it gets pretty busy because Adam Company (day shift) is not wanting to start working a burglary 10 minutes before they go home and Bravo’s (evening/night shift) not up yet, then other stuff starts coming in,” he explains. “…usually if we’re going to go help, that’s when we’re going to go do it. It just varies depending on the call volume how much we jump in.”

Since the majority of Lake Division’s work is self-initiated, their shifts are more flexible, making assisting easier than in other sectors. Berrie explains that all calls that come through are categorized and given a number priority so that officers can utilize good judgment when responding. Calls for homicides and other severe issues have a higher priority, and officers may leave current calls to assist on those. All other calls have been handled at this point, and "dark-thirty" is fast approaching. 

Night Time

Headed back out to where his sector begins, Berrie says it’s time to start checking back in the parks for fires and other issues, and to put the boat back in storage. On his way out, Beddo calls and asks if Berrie can help guide some parents down to one of the darker park areas; he’s busted some minors having sex in a vehicle. In the lake area, the occurrence is fairly common, the officers say, and it isn't always teenagers. When minors are involved, they are released back to their parents.

'They find these areas and think that they're dark and secluded and that no one will catch them there,' Berrie says. 'Chances are, if you think it's a great place, I think it's a great place too, and I'm probably going to check there.'

After the kids do the walk of shame, the boat is put back in storage and Berrie makes his way out to the park. He's going to find the vehicle he’d picked out earlier. Weaving back through the park's twisting roads, Berrie comes right up on the vehicle. The occupants are still up and they appear intent on staying the night. Berrie approaches and makes conversation, determines where the men are from and that they've come down to fish, and reminds them to keep their fire contained. After a quick look around, he asks them to collect the garbage that is surrounding the campsite and comes back to run the license plate. When everything checks out he moves on.

Nearby, a bar is picking up for the night and area residents have made several complaints in the past. He drives by, halts briefly in the parking lot and listens, examining the relatively low Saturday night traffic, then is ready to sign off for the night. 

He’s put 108 miles on his truck, driven all over the Lake Nasworthy and Twin Buttes area, visited the city and taken out the boat. Reflecting on his duties, Berrie says, “Lake policing is about improving the quality of life for Nasworthy residents.” And that's what he does, day in and day out.

It’s been a seemingly long day, even if it’s been a “slow” one.