Pell City Police Chief Greg Turley said the Dock Watch program instituted earlier this year has theft on the water down significantly.

Turley said that having a presence in the water alone has theft down to manageable levels. Having 145 families signed up on the dock watch  program has helped, too.

Turley said even people in Lincoln and the Talladega side of Lake Logan Martin and the Coosa River have joined.

“We felt with bad guys not having visible lines of where they go, then why should we,” he said of having people outside the city join in. “We’re solving problems in seconds and minutes with problems on the lake. The more you’re informed, the more you’re involved, the more we’re all informed and can work together better.”

The city’s water patrol is removing 21 hazards on the water per month, Turley said. They range from floating piers to trash to floating poles along the 33 miles of shoreline patrolled by PCPD.

Turley reminds those on the lake that children under 12 need to have a personal floatation device on at all times and recommends adults wear them at all times, too. “When you get out there on the weekends you can pull out of a slough with the best intentions and have people come at you from all angles and you could be in danger quick, so wear your PFD.”