On the water beat: Shrewsbury police boat keeps watch on Lake Quinsigamond

SHREWSBURY - Labor Day weekend promises to live up to its name for Officer Shawn Valliere of the Shrewsbury Police Department.

Summer may be over, but Valliere, who is in charge of water safety on Lake Quinsigamond, has one more hurdle before boating wraps up for the season.

“We got four days of warm weather coming up so we’ll be out here,” said Valliere, who along with one other officer will take the department 2006 Boston Whaler on a safety patrol.

“The biggest challenge is watching the whole lake,” he said during an interview on the boat Thursday.

Lake Quinsigamond is seven miles long, meaning on busy days it can be difficult to cover in a single boat.

And busy days have been in abundance. When Valliere first started patrolling the lake 14 years ago, he said activity was minimal but in that time “the traffic and volume of boaters has quadrupled, and now it is absolutely nonstop out here.”

'Have a good time, but be safe'

Boating patrol season runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day, with exceptions based on warm weather or emergencies, with officers on the water from 3 to 11 p.m., seven days a week, ready to respond to calls such as disabled boats, injuries or complaints of erratic driving or speeding.

Despite the upward trend in water recreation, this summer “has been one of the safest seasons we’ve ever had,” said Valliere.

A large part of this can be attributed to preventive measures that take place on the shore rather than the water. “The last couple years we’ve been trying to have officers checking (boaters) at the ramps before they launch their boats,” said Valliere. This includes checking for registration, boating license and most importantly, safety equipment.

This is the most common issue, he said, of boaters not having the required equipment onboard, such as life jackets or fire extinguishers. “They’re so excited to get out here that they don’t know what they’re supposed to have on the boat,” he said. “Come out, have a good time, but be safe.”

The more relaxed, recreational atmosphere on the water is one of the things Valliere enjoys most about the job. ”On the street, most of the calls we have out there are negative and nobody’s ever really happy to see you,” he said with a rueful smile. “Here, everybody is friendly and happy to see you.”

Unless stolen Jet Skis are involved, in which case there can be a somewhat strong reaction, such as last weekend when a Millbury man was arrested for biting a Shrewsbury police officer on Lake Quinsigamond. Officers were investigating the theft of watercraft, which led to the confrontation.

Don’t get caught out of your depth

Part of lake policing can appear similar to monitoring road traffic, such as making sure people slow down in narrow or congested areas to avoid collisions or other accidents. Other areas of the lake may need patrolling for less obvious reasons.

“A lot of really shallow areas will come up on you fast, and go from 100 feet to 2 feet deep in seconds,” said Valliere. “Next thing you know you’re ripping a prop off.”

This means that certain areas are inaccessible by boat, being blocked off by shallows. To address this, the department purchased a new Jet Ski, which is being outfitted for next season. “Now we can get to places like Flint Pond,” said Valliere. “It’ll be a great tool to have in our fleet.”

But sudden depth changes are not only a problem for boats, Valliere said, bringing up the boat a short distance away from the shore at Lake Park Beach. “Here, it’s shallow enough to stand," he pointed to the water, where the bottom was clearly visible. “And here,” he said, pointing to the other side of the boat, “is a shelf that drops off to about 80 feet.”

He said there have been “a lot of unfortunate drownings over the years because people can’t swim” and were not expecting the steep drop.

To mark these areas, the police put out safety buoys for both swimmers and boaters. The heavy rain this summer made this normally straightforward task more difficult than usual. “With all the water-level changes the safety buoys have been moving around, and it’s been challenging keeping them all in the proper place,” said Valliere. With the water level having risen at least a few feet at times, “we’ve been running out of rope and chains,” he said.

Helpful wildlife

The lake boasts multiple islands, especially near Lake Park, which are popular spots for family parties and cookouts, except for one. Drake Island, or more commonly known as Eagle Island now, has been declared off limits for the last four years since a pair of bald eagles took up residence and now nest near the top of the tallest tree.

The eagles have become local celebrities, drawing in bird-watchers eager to glimpse the national bird, and are emblematic of the species' miraculous recovery after almost going extinct in the area, thanks to intensive reintroduction and conservation efforts.

Being on the water as much as he is, Valliere has become very familiar with the resident raptors over the years. “I saw one grab a fish out of the water one time,” he recalled. In fact, in the last few years, he has become quite fond of them. “We had a lot of problems with parties on (Drake) island. With that new rule, the last four years have been a breath of fresh air,” he said. “The eagles have actually helped us a lot.”

Though the eagles could not be seen from the boat, their loud screeches easily carried across the water, as if in acknowledgment.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: On the water beat: Shrewsbury police boat keeps watch on Lake Quinsigamond