[StBernard] St. Bernard Port, Sheriff's Office unveil new patrol boat

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Port, Sheriff's Office unveil new patrol boat

The St. Bernard Parish Port has purchased a 35-foot patrol boat that
authorities say will bolster port and Sheriff's Office search, rescue and
recovery operations. The St. Bernard Parish Port, Harbor & Terminal District
used money from a federal grant to purchase the $325,000 boat, the Sheriff's
Office said in a news release.

The port and Sheriff's Office announced an agreement under which port staff
and sheriff's deputies have been trained to operate the boat, Sheriff James
Pohlmann and port Executive Director Robert Scafidel said in the news
release.

"We approached Sheriff Pohlmann about a cooperative agreement between us
because we thought it was something we could use,'' Scafidel said. "Its main
purpose is to help us cover the river but it would be useful in other bodies
of water.''

The vessel includes a sonar scanning camera and software, which is useful
for search and rescue operations, Pohlmann said.

The boat can be used to search water bottoms and ship hulls for contraband.

The boat was built in Louisiana, the news release said. The federal grant
covers 75 percent of the cost, with the other 25 percent coming from the
state of Louisiana. The port's five-member board of commissioners approved
the project.