Rye PD Unveils New $587K Patrol Boat
(PHOTO: Marine Unit Supervisor Alex Whalen and Special Operations Supervisor and Sergeant Lance Hinrichs with the Rye PD’s new “PB1, a 31’ full cabin from SAFEBoat with twin Mercury 400 HP V10 Verado Outboards. Thursday, January 23, 2025. File photo.)
(Story updated 8:30pm 1/23/2025)
The Rye PD has a new $587K patrol boat. And to the relief of its marine officers who conduct year-round patrols, it comes with an enclosed, temperature-controlled cabin and suite of modern boat and policing features. The boat, which had been on order since December 2023, is a major upgrade to the aging fleet that had been in use.
The new 31’ full cabin, that will go by the name “PB1”, is from the manufacturer SAFEBoat, and is similar to boats in use by New Rochelle, Greenwich and Westchester County Police to patrol the Long Island Sound. Mamaroneck PD also has a similar boat on order. The expenditure was approved by City Council back on December 20, 2023 as part of the annual budgeting process. The boat was on back order until its recent delivery.
Public Safety Commissioner Mike Kopy said marine patrols are used for “ensuring that people are operating [their] boats in a safe fashion and that they have all the safety equipment that they need.”
We get calls for the hunting complaints. We get calls for reckless operation. We get calls for people who are having medical episodes on the water and get back. We get calls for boats on the rocks. That’s a regular occurrence. But a lot of what the boat is used [for is] similar to a police car. The car has got to be out there to be visible, so that people see a police presence.”
In the last month alone, the marine unit responded to homeowner complaints about duck hunters and just before the Christmas holiday responded to a call of a resident who had become separated from a friend and carried by Long Island Sound currents down to Mamaroneck.
Most important? The new boat “allows us to provide a safe environment for police and these officers to operate from. That’s the most important thing,” said Kopy.
(VIDEO, below: Rye PD discussed the new boat during a briefing for local officials on Thursday, January 23, 2025.)
Aging Fleet
The new patrol boat replaces a Rye PD’s 2001 27’ Glacier Bay Catamaran. The boat was a pleasure craft not intended for police work and not able to properly operate in the winter season. Rye PD has two other boats. It operates a Boston Whaler on loan from the New York State Parks Department as well as a commercial patrol boat it acquired from the Department of Defense’s 1033 program.
Marine Staff
The Rye PD marine unit is directly overseen by Marine Unit Supervisor Alex Whalen. Special Operations Supervisor and Sergeant Lance Hinrichs oversees the marine unit as one of a number of his functions. Other officers on PD staff are trained for marine patrols and the department also hires ten seasonal bay constables. The constables are mostly used in peak summertime boating season, but are sometimes also leveraged in the off season as well.
The Cost
Kopy is aware some may have sticker shock at the $587K price. If you look at the 20 year expected lifespan of the boat, Kopy said it works out to what the department spends on new patrol vehicles. A new police car runs around $110K and has a more limited five year life span (three as a primary vehicle, two as a secondary vehicle).
The Specs
31’ SAFE Full Cabin Specifications:
- Length: 33’6” Overall (with Engines and rigging)
- Beam: 10’0”
- Draft: 24”
- Fuel Capacity: 300 gallons
- Engines: (2) Mercury 400 HP V10 Verado Outboards
- Westerbeke 5.0 MCGA AC Generator
- Whelen Emergency Lighting System
See the full quote from SafeBoats with all feature details. Watch Kopy present the boat for budget approval at the Rye City Council on December 20, 2023.
