Beefed up police patrols will target drunk and impaired drivers over the Labor Day weekend
New York State troopers operate a sobriety checkpoint on the Newbridge Road entrance ramp to the Southern State Parkway on the eve of Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 3, 2019. Both Suffolk police and State Police say they will use sobriety checkpoints over the Labor Day weekend. Credit: Jeff Bachner
State and local police are beefing up patrols in an effort to crack down on Long Islanders driving while intoxicated over the Labor Day weekend.
Both Suffolk and Nassau police will use Safe Driving Enforcement and Stop DWI grants to increase patrols, both on land and water, to target drivers operating vehicles or vessels while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the departments announced. Labor Day weekend typically results in heavy traffic throughout the state, New York State Police said.
Officers also will enforce traffic laws through high-visibility patrols to target aggressive and distracted drivers, news releases from the departments said. Suffolk Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison said his department would have sobriety checkpoints.
Suffolk officers will increase their presence in areas with high foot traffic, such as strip malls and shopping centers.
Both Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone implored Long Islanders to avoid driving under the influence.
“We do not want a weekend of fun to turn into a tragic one,” Bellone said.
Across New York, State Police will increase patrols to combat intoxicated driving. The agency’s added enforcement will begin Friday and end Monday, State Police said. State troopers also will use sobriety checkpoints, as well as both marked and unmarked vehicles.
The "Have a Plan" mobile app is available for New Yorkers to locate and call a taxi service, State Police said. Suspected impaired drivers also can be reported through the app.
Last Labor Day weekend, state troopers arrested 196 people for driving while impaired and issued 10,701 tickets. They also investigated 661 crashes, which killed four people.
Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.
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