AEDC Security Police launch dedicated patrol boat

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. --  Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) officials, including Joe Kirk, who was AEDC's security police chief prior to Dave Gardenhire's tenure, recently were on hand to launch a new patrol boat from the beach near FamCamp on Woods Reservoir. 

Kirk said the boat adds a valuable capability to the security police force, one that he and Gardenhire had advocated for over the years. 

"This boat is a dream come true," he said. 

Temple Bowling, 704th Mission Support Group deputy director, and Ron Polce, 704th Test System Group director, got their first ride on the boat. 

"This is going to be a great asset for us," Polce said. 

Bowling said the boat would make patrolling the lake much easier and safer. 

"I've never been in a boat like this," he said. 

AEDC Security Police Chief Rick Trull said he was equally impressed by the new boat, a Boston Whaler. 

"The most important thing to me is that this boat extends the capabilities we've historically had on the reservoir," he said. "In the past, we've used an Air Force Services-provided boat to patrol the reservoir. 

"The Services organization went to great lengths to ensure we had a well-equipped and well-maintained boat during the boating season," he continued. "We greatly appreciate the support we received from Services through the years. 

"Purchasing a boat that was specifically built for the police mission really extends our capabilities in several areas. We now have a readily identifiable boat for one; there's no missing a 24-foot, fully dressed out police boat." 

Trull said a factory representative recently came up and trained his officers on the "unique abilities of the boat and its operation." 

He explained, "We have dual engines with counter-rotating props that allows for much greater speed and maneuverability than we've had in the past. This boat has a built-in dive/rescue door which makes it much easier and safer to pull injured and incapacitated persons out of the water." 

Trull said the new boat is much larger and is custom built to tow disabled watercraft. 

"This boat drafts in 17 inches of water, meaning we can even operate in very shallow water successfully," he said. "Finally, the boat has an on-board GPS that gives us real-time location readings to be able to see exactly where we are and mark a specific area so that we can return to that area for investigative or other inquiries. The GPS also gives us a three-dimensional view of underwater contours." 

Trull said that during Chief Kirk's tenure, it was known that the reservoir would be a widely used asset by the Air Force and the public. 

"We've worked very hard with fantastic support of Services, our Air Force oversight office and a diligent Air Force Resource Adviser to bring this capability to the department," Trull said. "We're very excited to have this valuable asset."

Watching as his team readied the boat to patrol the approximately 4,000-acre reservoir, he added, "As a side note, our officers have been fully trained and certified by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and will be enforcing boating, safety, and game laws on the reservoir this year and in the years to come."