(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Members of the Chicago Police Marine Unit say calls for help late at night or early in the morning are not unusual.
In summer, the unit’s officers are busy overnight from about 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. almost any night of the week, says Lt. Jose A. Mendez, commanding officer of the Chicago Police Marine and Helicopter Units.
He estimates one quarter of those calls are about trouble in the “Playpen” area, often for a boat that's out of power.
He says in the most recent incident a woman was killed early Friday after a boat hit the breakwater at the Playpen.
Five people were taken off the breakwater by the fire department and one person was rescued from the water by a Chicago police diver.
"We did observe a few people without life vests, I don't recall the exact number,” Mendez said.
The Playpen is a U.S. Coast Guard safe anchorage area. “As long as it's used responsibly it's a good area,” he said.
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