It’s got speed. It’s got sound. And, it’s souped up for maximum efficiency.
At top speeds, the new Miami Beach police boat slices through waves and slivers through the Intracoastal Waterway. Its primary mission: safety.
Officer Dwayne Rezende gave NBC 6 an exclusive ride on the "safe boat". It's fully loaded with multi-screen, multi-function technology. The main feature is night vision and thermal imaging.
“If we know people are hiding in bushes and stuff, we could pick up the heat signal out of the bushes and direct units on land to it,” said Officer Rezende.
Police are always prepared to handle any situation using this newest addition to its fleet.
“We have drowning calls. We have boating accidents. We have people that are in distress that are drowning near the sea walls. We have subjects in the water. Burglaries on homes at waterfront that we can right up to and jump off,” said Officer Rezende.
It’s a highly trained and professional marine patrol unit ready to deploy in severe weather. The vessel uses radar crew can provide emergency assistance from inside an air conditioned cabin.
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“It helps us at night for locating objects in the water. Persons in the water boasts that don’t have lights on that we can’t see, markers anything that’s out there, we'll be able to identify them on the screen,” said Rezende.
The cost of the boat is less than $156,000 and the department says that’s a bargain.
