ROGERS, Arkansas — The Benton County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) says that it wants to invest in a device to help with underwater search missions.
It’s called a Deep Trekker Revolution Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV). The Sheriff’s Office says it’s like an underwater drone.
Maj. Kenneth Paul with BCSO says this all began in March when their department was searching for two kayakers who had drowned in Beaver Lake.
After weeks of searching, and assistance from other organizations, they were able to recover the bodies at 185 feet with the help of a ROV.
Now, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office wants to purchase one of their own.
“Our divers are only certified to go down to a hundred feet, so we wouldn't have been able to make the recoveries," Maj. Paul said. “... Those robots have high definition cameras on all four sides, and they also have an arm that you can attach to targets and you can retrieve them.”
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) was one of the organizations that helped with the Beaver Lake search in March, and since then, they’ve purchased their own ROV.
“This is a tool that we need, and we really need a few of these in Northwest Arkansas with as much water as we have,” said MDS Search and Rescue team leader Ted Hostetler.
Hostetler says they’re still training with the device, but already seeing its impact.
“We’re picking up quarter-size clam shells off the bottom of Beaver Lake --- that’s how steady it is,” Hostetler said.
BCSO says the device would make underwater search missions much more effective.
“It’s not only safer for our personnel, but also faster for the families,” Maj. Paul said.
The device costs over $150,000, and BCSO says they plan to present this idea to the quorum court.
If the funding is approved, they plan to order the device in January, and it will take about a month to receive it.
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