Prince William County’s top water cop, Lt. Craig Lawhead, leads the police department’s marine unit patrolling the Potomac’s waterways, to enforce what he calls “the rules of the road out on the water.”

What do you do?

It’s the same thing we do on the street. It’s a lot of patrol work. You have some lost people or drowning reports, lost boats, driving while intoxicated, some public disturbance.

Why does Prince William County need a boat patrol?

This story continues below
Advertisement

The safety aspect is huge. When you’re on the water, there’s not a lot of resources out there to help you. It’s a lot more restrictive than if you call 911 and ask for help on the street. There’s usually not someone nearby.

What is one of the key problems people have out on the Potomac?

Experience. When you’re on land, if someone produces a license, you know they know the basics. But when you turn that into the water, there is no license. You can purchase a 30- or 40-foot boat without any prior experience. The safety aspect is huge.

What’s an emergency call like for you?

Just about everything you’d get on land. We had a potential suicide call ,and the cell phone beacon came up as in the Occoquan. We traced it and found out she was on a bridge. We were able to send a patrol, and they talked her down.

Do you have much experience with boating?

I’ve been involved in and around boats my entire life. I grew up on a lake, and somebody in my family always had a boat.

What do you and your officers do when they’re on land?

We’re kind of all over the place. I’m deputy commander for the Eastern District. Two are at the academy, one’s a crash investigator, two are at the juvenile bureau and one is in internal affairs.