In an effort to prevent drinking while driving vehicle () or a vessel (), the Suffolk County Police Department has increased patrols on roads and waterways this Labor Day weekend.
The SCPD made the announcement about cracking down on boating and driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol ahead of a press conference on Friday, August 31, at the Suffolk County Police Department’s Marine Bureau in Great River.
The enforcement effort will include sobriety checkpoints, DWI saturation patrol and an enhanced motorcycle enforcement initiative, all funded by grant money.
Those participating in the increased enforcement effort are officers from the Marine Bureau, Community Oriented Police Enforcement (COPE) Units, the Aggressive Driving Task Force, the Motorcycle Section, the SAFE-T (Selective Alcohol Fatality Enforcement) Section, as well as standard patrols.
“Too often police respond to crashes during which people are injured or killed due to a driver’s irresponsible actions,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Edward Webber said in the announcement.
“Our officers will be saturating the roads and waterways looking for drunk or drugged operators, as well as those violating vehicle and traffic laws,” he continued.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone added, “Unfortunately lives have been lost this Summer because people have chosen to operate a boat or drive a vehicle under the influence. We're asking residents to make responsible decisions to ensure a safe holiday for themselves and others this weekend."
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