Special water-response team gears up for summer

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By HEATHER WALTERS 

The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office is gearing up for the summer season with its Special Response Team, a group of deputies trained to handle water rescues and perform patrol in the county’s waterways. 

The Special Response Team, or SRT, assists SCDNR, and Colleton Fire-Rescue with search-and-rescue operations in the entire county. The team consists of multiple members, all of whom are law enforcement officers from different sheriff’s office divisions. 

According to Shalane Lowes, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, these officers who make up the SRT are from the county’s Administrative Office, the Road Patrol Division, and the Criminal Investigations Division (CID). 

“These officers respond to missing or overdue boaters, boaters in distress, reported drownings, cars in the water, and residential rescues from flood areas,” she said. “The CCSO also conducts patrols for violations of law and provides safety patrols for events,” said Lowes. 

In 2020, the CCSO responded to more than 20 water-related incidents. None of those responses in 2020 were related to Edisto River flooding, according to Lowes. 

Colleton County is comprised of 1,133 square miles. Multiple bodies of water lie inside the county’s borders, including the Edisto River, the Ashepoo River, the Combahee River, the ACE Basin, and Edisto Beach. 

There are also multiple swamps and marsh areas, several public boat landings, and multiple private boat landings and creeks. 

The CCSO helps patrols all of these waterways, including the ocean’s waters and coastline of Edisto Beach. 

To help manage these waterways, the sheriff’s office currently has one boat assigned primarily to Edisto Beach. The sheriff’s office also has three other boats that are used throughout the county. Each of these watercraft are equipped with side-scan sonar, GPS, and bright lights to “assist in multiple applications,” said Lowes. 

 Additionally, we maintain the M1078 High Water Vehicle, ATVs, and UTVs used for search and rescue, marijuana eradication, and property recovery, she said. 

Colleton residents are reminded of Boating Under the Influence laws and valuable safety tips while using the county’s waterways. For more information on these laws, visit www.scdnr.sc.gov.