Hillsborough Co. sheriff unveil 2 high-tech rescue boats [Video]

TAMPA, Fla. — As the Tampa Bay area enters into another boating season, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has launched Operation Safe Waters.

“We’re going to be out there in full force,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said.

The sheriff says as the population continues to grow in our region, so does the number of boaters and the number of distress calls his marine unit is responding to.

“We are the only 24 /7 marine unit in the Tampa Bay region,” Chronister said. “We respond 24 hours a day, rain or shine, day or night.”

So, as the boating season ramps up, the sheriff’s office is unveiling a pair of new vessels called Safe Boats.

Each is about 38 feet long and capable of …