Suffolk boosts holiday weekend DWI patrols

Suffolk County police and sheriff's deputies will be on the lookout for reckless or impaired drivers over the Labor Day weekend, the agencies said yesterday.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Police Commissioner Edward Webber are scheduled to announce at a news conference Friday a weekend crackdown on boating and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

In a news release, Suffolk police said enforcement will include standard patrols, plus sobriety checkpoints, DWI saturation patrols and an enhanced motorcycle initiative, all funded by grant money.

The department's Marine Bureau will be active on waterways, Webber said. "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 said.

Suffolk Sheriff Vincent DeMarco said that increased enforcement on Sunrise Highway and the Long Island Expressway will begin Friday and extend through Tuesday.

"Deputies will be on the lookout for aggressive driving, speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs," DeMarco said.