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CMPD to patrol Lake Wylie on 4th of July

Their top concerns are inexperienced boaters who only rent for the holiday and people drinking.

LAKE WYLIE, S.C. — North and South Carolina's lakes will be some of the most popular spots to celebrate the Fourth of July. 

CMPD said more and more people come out every year and a lot of them inexperienced boaters, so they'll be out on Lake Wylie making sure everyone is staying safe.

"It’s getting more crowded every year,” said Officer Stanley Joye with CMPD Lake Enforcement Unit, which will be out on the lake for the holiday, too.

They want people to have fun, but they're always preaching safety. Their top concerns are inexperienced boaters who only rent for the holiday and people drinking.

"We'll be checking for alcohol if we see someone driving erratically or people riding on the bow out of the boat maybe dangling their feet or riding on the stern, we see quite a bit of that,” said Joye.

Every time they make a stop, they do a safety inspection. They'll check the lights, especially this weekend with so many boaters staying out in the dark for fireworks. 

They’ll also make sure there's a float, a fire extinguisher, and enough life jackets for everyone on board. If a child is riding without a life jacket, police will give them one, along with a citation for the captain.

Police said swimmers should also wear life jackets, no matter how confident they are in their skills. There has been one drowning in Mecklenburg County so far this year. But in the last few weeks, there were two in the South Fork River.

"We work quite a few drownings where people can swim and they just say, well, let's swim to a certain location, and they'll start and won't make it because people get tired,” said Joye.

He added the busiest and most dangerous time on Lake Wylie is right after the fireworks when everyone tries to leave at once. Police are asking people to be patient and go slow.

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