Wave by wave: Chatham County marine patrol officers protect local waterways

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - When you think of police officers showing up to help, several images come to mind—usually patrol cars, blue lights, or foot chases. But in Chatham County, safety is also maintained wave by wave.

On the local waterways, the police department’s marine unit handles a completely different kind of duty.

“I love being out here. I love the environment. It’s a different world than the police world on land.”— Sgt. Danny Walker, Chatham County Police Department

A shift from crime scenes to lifesaving rescues

Sgt. Walker is no stranger to high-stakes police work. For years, his job focused on the aftermath of tragedy rather than prevention.

“You name it, I’ve seen it. From ’94 til 2009, I was with Savannah Police Department as one of the forensic investigators.”— Sgt. Danny Walker

Today, his focus has shifted from investigating deaths to saving lives on the water. Among his most memorable rescues was a frantic search for a young child who became separated from his family.

“The 4-year-old actually got out the boat somehow and into the marsh and there was a big search for him and we ended up finding him.”— Sgt. Danny Walker

From rescues to “Swamp Patrol” apprehensions

Not everyone the marine unit pulls from the water is looking to be saved. Sometimes, they are trying to escape.

The unit’s work recently caught national attention on A&E’s television series Swamp Patrol after a high-speed chase on land ended with a suspect taking a desperate plunge.

“We had a call where a subject ran from police—State Patrol and Chatham County Police Department. And the guy had run and jumped into a lake on a golf course.”— Sgt. Danny Walker

Corporal Heath Wynn, who grew up around boats and loves fishing, was the officer who jumped into the water to secure the suspect.

“That was wild with the gators and everything like that, but you don’t really think about that kind of stuff when you’re handling business.”— Cpl. Heath Wynn, Chatham County Police Department

“Just part of the job”

Despite the alligator-infested waters and dramatic rescues, both officers reject the label of “hero.” For them, the reward is simply doing the work they committed to decades ago.

“I think that we help people, but I don’t consider myself that at all. It’s just part of the job.”— Cpl. Heath Wynn

“I don’t consider it being a hero. It’s just an everyday job for me. I like hearing stories of people who are heroes and stuff like that there. But I feel like when I joined in ’90 to the law enforcement community, I wasn’t looking for fame and fortune.”— Sgt. Danny Walker

Preparing for a busy holiday weekend

Sgt. Walker and Cpl. Wynn are preparing for a busy stretch ahead. With Labor Day just around the corner, Chatham County’s waterways will soon be packed with boaters—bringing a historically high volume of water rescues.