The Rye Police Department’s Marine Unit may not always be in the spotlight, but its mission is clear: to ensure the safety of everyone using the waters of Rye and Western Long Island Sound.
The marine unit on Jan. 23 unveiled a new 31-foot Full Cabin SAFEBoats patrol vessel. Designed for year-round operations, the new vessel features advanced marine electronics, a climate-controlled cabin, and high-speed capabilities – enhancing the department’s ability to respond to emergencies in any weather or sea conditions.
Supervised by Officer Alexander Whelean, the unit oversees everything from recreational boaters in the summer to enforcing state laws and responding to emergencies throughout the year.
“We’ve got a lot of people that recreate and use the Rye city waters,” Sergeant and Special Operations Supervisor Lance Hinrichs said. “Our main focus is to make sure everyone’s safe and make sure everyone gets from point A to point B, and if something does go wrong, we make sure that we’re there to pick up the pieces.”
Rye’s marine unit covers 14 miles of shoreline on the Long Island Sound, from the Port Chester Harbor down to Mamaroneck, and out toward the middle of the sound.
The marine unit operates approximately 16-hour days during the warmer months and eight-hour days in the colder months. With nine seasonal bay constables, they are able to stay consistent in their service throughout the year, according to Hinrichs.
“We try to be as much of a fixture on the Long Island Sound, just to show a presence, just to show everyone that we’re here,” Hinrichs said.
The primary responsibilities of the Marine Unit include enforcing New York State navigation laws, vehicle and traffic regulations, and Rye city code.
While the challenges faced by the unit vary by season, their busiest time is the summer, when recreational boating activity peaks. The American Yacht Club, with its numerous boats, sailing programs, and summer camps – along with Row America Rye in Milton Harbor – keep the unit’s officers on high alert.
In the winter, officers routinely respond to complaints of duck hunters, which Hinrichs dubbed the “leaf blowers of the Sound.” Additionally, there is still commercial traffic in the colder months coming from New Haven into New York City that the unit monitors.
Since joining the unit in 2021, Hinrichs has never responded to a commercial vessel or vehicle in distress, but the possibility remains. Additionally, colder temperatures present the challenge of shorter response times during the winter months.
“Just because it’s a downtime during the winter months doesn’t mean that we get to go ahead and kick our feet up,” Hinrichs said. “The potential for us still having to go out there and do something is definitely there.”
The marine unit completed a rescue mission in December 2024, locating a paddle boarder on shore at Seven Oaks Lane in Mamaroneck.
Photo courtesy Rye Police Department
Public Safety Commissioner Michael Kopy called the new boat a “fundamental investment in our emergency services.”
Rye is one of three jurisdictions in Westchester County with a marine unit, joining the New Rochelle and the village of Mamaroneck police departments. Hinrichs said the three work together very frequently.
“Our main function is just to ensure that everyone’s out there enjoying the water, doing it safely, because unfortunately, when things go bad on the water, they really can go bad,” Hinrichs said. “So we would much rather err on the side of caution and make sure everyone’s treating it with the same level of seriousness that we are.”
