3 new patrol boats headed to Long Island, Gov. Cuomo says

The Suffolk County Marine Bureau, Town of Huntington harbor master and Town of Southampton bay constable will receive three of nine new patrol boats being assigned to state and local law enforcement agencies across New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Monday.

The new vessels, valued up to $150,000 each, are intended to help agencies enforce recreational boater safety, officials said.

“From Lake George to the Long Island Sound, New York is home to some of the best recreational boating in the nation,” the governor said in a statement, adding: “These new patrol vessels will help keep New York’s waterways safe, while improving security for all boat operators and passengers this season.”

In addition to the three Long Island agencies, new vessels assigned for 2016 also will go to the state Department of Environmental Conservation police; state park police in the Thousand Islands Region; the Lake George Park Commission; the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department; the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department; and the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department. Called Brunswick “Justice” vessels, the boats range in value from $78,000 to $150,000, officials said Monday.

“These Long Island patrol boats will enhance the safety of Long Island boaters and their families this summer,” Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) said in a statement. Calling proper boating safety “critically important,” Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) said the patrol boat for Southampton will “assist with the effort” to ensure local boater safety.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”