Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 8/3/2021
HAMPDEN COUNTY – Sheriff Nick Cocchi’s latest service to Hampden County is his Marine Patrol Unit, which made its official debut on July 29.
Cocchi, members of law enforcement and Agawam Mayor William Sapelli gathered at the Springfield Yacht Club on River Street to formally introduce the unit to the press.
The two boats and ten-member unit have already been of use to local law enforcement by helping the Southwick Police monitor speed and safe boating practices on Congamond Lakes, as well as assisting the Chicopee police in its investigation of a young boy perishing while in the Connecticut River.
Cocchi said there has been a “great need for more support” on the county’s waterways. He added activity on the Connecticut River and area lakes has increased last summer and this summer with the pandemic.
“It’s about safety,” Cocchi asserted.
The unit was created with no cost to the tax payers, the sheriff explained. Money seized through drug raids was made available through the Department of Justice’s Asset Forfeiture Fund was used to buy the boats from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota.
The two boats were in the Connecticut River. They are a 2021 20.5-foot Center Console Finseeker search and rescue boat, while the other is a 2017 18-foot Lake Assault search and rescue patrol boat.
The 10 members of his staff underwent intensive training for the assignment. Cocchi described the unit as “seasonal” and stressed the service is “as needed upon request.”
“Why is this unit here? The community asked for it,” the sheriff said.