LAKE NORMAN, NC -- The Civil Air Patrol is helping officers patrol Lake Norman this weekend.

Planes took off from Monroe Regional Airport Friday heading to area lakes. Their mission is surveillance from the air, looking for boaters or swimmers in distress. They'll spend most of the July fourth weekend flying over Lake Norman, Lake Wiley and Mountain Island Lake.

Lt. David Hodges is the spokesperson for Civil Air Patrol's South Squadron and explains why he's volunteering his time this holiday.

“You have men and women of armed services doing what they do, veterans doing what they did, and in comparison this here is minute," he said.

And while crews fly over the Charlotte area looking for anyone in need of help, officers on the lake search for people who shouldn't be boating. They're looking for impaired boaters or other issues that could lead to a crash.

North Carolina Wildlife Sgt. Barry Rowell's goal is to prevent a tragedy before it happens.

"We're out there to make sure everyone stays safe, where everyone can go home at the end of the day," he said.

Mark Broome is on the lake for the holiday and said the more officers patrolling the better and safer it is.

"Anytime you have a lot of people congregating to one area it's a good thing have extra emergency sources to go to,” he said.

Officers from the air and the lake will be patrolling throughout the weekend. The Civil Air Patrol Crews are made up of a mission pilot, mission observer and mission scanner. U-S Civil Patrol is a non-profit organization with more than 56,000 members nationwide.