Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit Rescues Distressed Kayakers In Banana River

By  //  March 13, 2016

couple were on vacation from New York

Members of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit were on patrol in the Banana River last week in the area of Port Canaveral when they noticed what appeared to be boaters in distress. (BCSO image)
Members of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit were on patrol in the Banana River last week in the area of Port Canaveral when they noticed what appeared to be boaters in distress. (BCSO image)

BREVARD COUNTY • PORT CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – Members of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit were on patrol in the Banana River last week in the area of Port Canaveral when they noticed what appeared to be boaters in distress.

Sergeant Dennis Casey and Commander Greg Purden were on board when they noticed two subjects in the water clinging to a capsized kayak. The weather conditions were pushing the couple further into the river and away from shore.

The couple could not right the kayak and were desperately attempting to climb onto the top of the overturned vessel.

Sergeant Casey and Commander Purden pulled the two from the water and returned them safely to shore.

The couple, who were on vacation from New York were wearing personal flotation devices and were unfamiliar with how the weather conditions could impact the coastal waterways.

Our Marine Unit is responsible for patrolling the many miles of waterways to include the St. John’s River, Indian and Banana River, Sykes Creek, Mosquitos Lagoon, the Sebastian Inlet and Port Canaveral. It is a tremendous responsibility and the Unit does an incredible job of protecting both personal and commercial watercraft and shipping.

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As a reminder, we are quickly approaching the summer boating season and it’s a good time for all boaters to check and service all boating safety equipment.

Please join me in thanking both Sergeant Casey and Commander Purden for their outstanding efforts to protect our citizens and visitors who enjoy our wonderful maritime environment.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey has been a law enforcement officer for over three decades. Sheriff Ivey is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Daytona State College in Management and Supervision. Sheriff Ivey’s background in law enforcement is inclusive of Management, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Patrol Services, Public Integrity Investigations, and Corrections.

Sheriff Wayne Ivey

Prior to being elected in 2012, Sheriff Ivey served the citizens of the State of Florida as a Resident Agent in Charge for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. As a member of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Sheriff Ivey developed and created the country’s first ever statewide Task Force on Identity Theft. That same year the Task Force was named one of the top five most innovative programs in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and investigated approximately 44 million dollars in fraud cases. Additionally, as a member of FDLE, Sheriff Ivey created the Child Abduction Response Team (C.A.R.T) that re-defined the way Child Abduction cases are conducted throughout the country today. The program was later selected as the most innovative program in the country by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and is now used as a nationwide model in the response and investigation of child abductions.

Sheriff Ivey has testified before the United States Congress on law enforcement related matters and has extensive experience in the area of Public Integrity Investigations. Sheriff Ivey was honored as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Special Agent of the Year (1996) and was also recognized by the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for his Outstanding Contributions to Criminal Justice. In August of 2011 Sheriff Ivey was honored by the National Organization of Victims Advocacy for his work at the national level as an advocate of victim’s rights and protection.

Sheriff Ivey speaks regularly on topics such as Identity Theft, Crime in America, Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Self Defense through Mental Preparedness. Sheriff Ivey firmly believes that Crime Prevention and Education are vital to reduce our crime rate and protect our community.