Hall County launches Lake Lanier patrols with $280,000 boat
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office will begin lake lanier patrols on Friday, May 1, with a newly acquired 29-foot cabin rigid inflatable boat. The boat was bought last year with $280,000 in asset forfeiture funds and will be used as deputies start the 2026 patrol season.
Captain Michael Mount said the vessel was added after years of growth in visitor traffic on Lanier. He said, “With the growth of visitor traffic on Lanier, we knew a few years ago we needed a boat with advanced navigation technology and communications gear so we could optimize our lake patrols” and “Not only is this boat equipped with better technology, the cabin is climate controlled, allowing our deputies to work in all types of weather.”
Mount on patrols
The new boat came from Fluid Marine in North Carolina and is powered by twin Mercury Marine 225 engines. It also carries Raymarine electronics and FLIR thermal imaging technology. The sheriff’s office said the boat saw limited use after arriving late in the 2025 summer season, but it will now take part in the patrols scheduled through October.
Two vessels on Lanier
The Marine Patrol Unit will have two vessels available when the season opens. The older boat is a 2016 Sea Chaser 24 HFC center console, and it will remain in service as a backup. During peak periods such as Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, both boats are expected to be deployed.
Two deputies are assigned to the Marine Patrol Unit. Their work includes lake patrols, security at lakefront parks, and enforcement of boating regulations, and they work with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. For boaters on Lake Lanier, the immediate change is simple: patrol coverage begins May 1 with a second vessel now available when traffic is heaviest.
