A watery beat  

CULVER - Last week, called an ambulance for a swimmer who'd suffered seizure.

Last night, he helped respond to a fight at a local tavern.

But today, everything is Calm as Patrolman Gene Painton of the Culver Lake Patrol guides his boat around Lake Maxinkuckee.

The cool breeze blowing across the lake's light-green surface belies the scorching summer heat.

Painton, clad in a beige uniform shirt and brown uniform pants, looks out at his surroundings, eyes shielded by sunglasses. He waves to sailors, water-skiers, Jet Ski riders, and fishermen alike. The slow pace of his late morning patrol suits him just fine.

"We can go nights or days here without a big call," he says. "It's really and truly everyday police work"

Painton's one of seven officers with the Culver Lake Patrol, according to Chief Rich Sytsma.

Each, Sytsma says, is deputized through the Marshall County Sheriff's Department, paid by the Lake Maxinkuckee Association, and trained to save lives with CPR or a defibrillator.

Each is also authorized to write tickets and make arrests.

And each' officer' is responsible for keeping lake-goers safe, while keeping secure the approximately 400 homes around the lake.

"Our big job here is to see the lake is safe," says Painton, who knows it well enough to identify the owners of many houses he passes, whether on land or on the water.


Here are the seven officers on the Culver Lake Patrol:

Chief - Rich Sytsma
Patrolman - Sally Ricciardi
Patrolman - Aaron Thompson
Patrolman - John Duhnovsky
Patrolman - Bill Strong III
Patrolman - Gene Painton

The Culver Lake Patrol reminds the public that state law mandates that boats travel no more than 10 mph within 200 feet of shore. ln addition, people who are tubing or skiing on a lake must have one person who is watching them, to ensure their safety.

Like his fellow officers, Painton splits his shifts between boat and car. The Culver Lake Patrol has two of each, and Painton says officers often move from land to water several times during shift.

That keeps people better behaved, he says, adding that officers do their job best when they're highly visible.

"There isn't a big problem (here)," he says. "I like to think it's because we're out here all' the time.

Officers patrol the lake and the nearby roads year-round. There are busy summer weekends when they write tickets for boaters who disregard speed or safety regulations, and winter weekends so uneventful that, in Painton's words, "you get to know when a trash can's been moved."
But- even a slow day is no problem. Painton, for instance, has enjoyed many a sunset while trolling the lake, and like his colleagues, he's free to move around as he likes.

"There's a lot of freedom in this job," he says, and Sytsma agrees, adding that the pace can be unpredictable.

"We can go for days and not have any calls," he says, "and then have four to five in one day."

By Joshua Stowe, Tribune Staff Writer
25 June 2005
South Bend Tribune