Lake Enforcement Unit

Boat

Lake Norman


Lake Norman was created for the McGuire Power Plant to act as the cooling agent for the reactors. The lake started filling in 1964. There are 520 miles of shoreline, 279 of which are in Iredell County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction. The most of any other county bordering the lake. There are approximately 45,000 registered boats on Lake Norman. 

Lake Norman has 5 law enforcement agencies working it’s waters:

  • Iredell County Sheriff’s Lake Patrol
  • Catawba County Sheriff’s Lake Patrol
  • Lincoln County Sheriff’s Lake Patrol
  • Cornelius Police Department Lake Patrol
  • North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

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Iredell County Lake Enforcement Unit


The Iredell County Sheriff's Office Lake Enforcement Unit currently has four full-time lake enforcement positions, and one part-time position. We also utilize our Community Oriented Policing (COPS), and School Resource Officers (SRO) during the busier summer months to add additional manpower to provide services on Lake Norman. Sheriff Campbell has also added to our enforcement capabilities, by adding three drones, and a shallow water response vehicle to the Lake Patrol. We are able to deploy these tools to assist in drowning and boating accident investigations, as well as utilizing them to monitor lake boat traffic and conduct surveillance on boat access areas. 

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office has a 21-foot boat docked at Inland Sea Marina (south end of the lake) and a 21-foot boat docked near River City Marina at North Carolina Highway 150/River Highway (north end of the lake) as well as a marked shallow water response vehicle. We have the capabilities to enforce all of North Carolina's laws to include:
       
  • Drug and Alcohol Laws
  • Boating while Intoxicated (BWI)
  • Safety Equipment Violations
  • Wake Zone Violations
  • Littering
  • Registration and Numbering Violations
  • Careless and Reckless Boating

Lake Enforcement Unit Deputies attend the monthly meetings of the Lake Norman Marine Commission and present a monthly report to the Board of Commissioners. You can follow the activities of the Lake Norman Marine Commission on their website.

The Iredell County Sheriff's Office Lake Patrol, offers a Lake Watch Class as well as a Boater Safety Class, if you are interested you can contact any member of our Staff for further information.  

Lake Watch      

Sheriff Campbell has designed a Lake Watch program to make your lake-front community safer. The program empowers you to work in cooperation with your neighbors and Lake Enforcement Unit deputies to promote community vigilance and public safety.

By getting involved with Lake Watch, you will:

  • Build relationships with Lake Enforcement Unit deputies.
  • Get to know others in your community.
  • Help to reduce the chance of criminal activity in your neighborhoods and lake communities.
  • Be made aware of current crime trends.
  • Learn how to identify suspicious activity.

If you want more information about Lake Watch or you are interested in hosting a Lake Watch meeting for your cove or community, please reach out to a member of a Lake Enforcement Unit listed below.

Lake Watch Brochure


Staff

Find more information on those who work in this division in our staff directory.