Divers for the all-volunteer DART team now have a sonar device that will help them rescue people in danger of drowning or aid in a safe recovery of a body.
The Drowning Accident Rescue Team, founded in 1980, regularly is called upon to respond to drowning calls on Sacramento waterways. Recently, that job was aided by a donation from the Laci & Conner Search & Rescue Fund for a $3,200 sonar device.
The Laci & Conner fund has provided $219,000 in grants to 44 organizations. The fund was founded by Sharon Rocha, whose daughter Laci and unborn grandson Conner were killed.
The bodies of Laci Peterson and her 8-month-old fetus were found in the San Francisco Bay after she disappeared Christmas Eve 2002. Her husband, Scott Peterson, was convicted in November 2004 of killing her and the fetus she carried. He is on death row in San Quentin State Prison.
"Many people spent countless hours helping in the search for my daughter, Laci," said Rocha. "I believe every missing person deserves to be found and returned to their loved ones."
DART team diver Rich Morgan said in a press release the sonar will help the team in several ways. It will:
* Allow the team to cover wider underwater areas along the Sacramento and American rivers and the Delta.
* Provide target locations for less time-consuming, dangerous searches.
* Allow for a visual supervision on sonar devices of divers as they move toward a target.
Already the device has been used on dive calls. In late August, a man slipped at the Elkhorn Boat ramp on the Sacramento River, striking his face on the dock.
He went under the surface, momentarily surfaced downstream, then sank in the fast-moving water. An underwater search by DART divers was called off after two hours for safety reasons due to fast water, underwater debris and darkness.
A search with the new Side Scan Sonar later that night revealed the victim's location. After studying the spot and underwater debris on sonar the next day, a diver was able to retrieve the drowned man with direction from the sonar operator.
Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.
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