photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Clinton Lake Marina is pictured on May 10, 2023.

With more and more visitors at Clinton Lake, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says it’s started doing boat patrols since last spring to enhance safety, and it plans to expand it to Lone Star Lake, as well.

During a work session before the Douglas County Commission’s meeting on Wednesday, Sheriff Jay Armbrister told county commissioners that the department had started last spring to patrol the waters at Clinton Lake and respond to the rise in incidents during the summer, the peak recreational season at the state park.

Armbrister said that what prompted the boat patrols on Clinton Lake was the popularity of the Clinton Lake Marina and the general amount of traffic at the park, which had 643,000 visitors in 2024.

“The marina has become a huge influx of people because they are building it up,” Armbrister told the commission. He said the improvements at the marina, including Friday night events and concerts during the summer, seemed to be well received by the community.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but it just created so much traffic,” Armbrister told the Journal-World.

Armbrister said that the state of Kansas does not have the resources to help with patrols on the lake, so the department has stepped in to do them on its own. He said six people who were already with the office are certified to do the patrols, and the department is not looking to hire anyone new for the program.

Right now, Armbrister said, the department is looking at the peak volume times at the park to ensure staff is present. Broadly speaking, the peak season has seemed to begin toward the end of May and early June and continuing until Douglas County schools get back in session.

“We’re trying to do with our current staffing and just have people out there during the times that they’re needed,” Armbrister told the Journal-World. “So it’s really just kind of trying to learn something that we’ve never dealt with before.”

Armbrister said that in addition to Clinton Lake, the department plans to also do boat patrols at Lone Star Lake.

“We are not out there to enforce, (but to be) a presence,” Armbrister told commissioners. “… If you need something, we’re also there for you. We’re not out there to really get after how many fishing lines you have in the water … and that kind of stuff. We are out there and present.”