Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office Dive Rescue Team

The Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office Dive/Rescue Team’s main purpose of the team is for searching for stolen property, weapons, automobiles, and drowning victims.

Officer Rodney Roberts is part of team, which usually has 6 divers but is currently short a pair, and he says they receive specialized training in ice, deep water, salvage/wreck, and rescue/first aid diving operations.

Roberts says winter diving is challenging because diving time is much shorter than any other season.

Roberts says diving in the Mississippi River is dangerous regardless of the season due to the fast current and near darkness. He says each mission’s goal is to find the missing person or persons as quickly as possible.

The Goodhue County Sheriff's Dive Team responsible for all rescue and recovery operations county-wide and also assists neighboring jurisdictions in both Minnesota and Wisconsin with underwater recovery operations.