Greenwich Police Among 200 Agencies Nationwide Looking for Drunk Boaters This Weekend

The town of Greenwich in Fairfield County is located in southwestern Connecticut. Greenwich is bordered on the south by the Long Island Sound. The median household income of $112,493 in 2005 placed Greenwich first on Money magazine’s “Biggest Earner” category of its annual “100 Best Places to Live in the United States.” Additional smaller bodies of water in the Greenwich area include Greenwich Cove, Smith Cove, Putnam Lake Rockwood Lake and Converse Lake.

Beginning today, boaters can expect extra police patrols by the Greenwich Police Department (GPD). The Greenwich Time reported that the GPD would be patrolling Long Island Sound for intoxicated boaters as part of Operation Dry Water, a national three-day campaign from June 28 to June 30 against boating under the influence that corresponds with the peak of the summer boating season. According to the Time, the GPD has “beefed up its abilities to enforce BUI laws,” acquiring a new public safety boat and outfitting its Marine Division with new breathalyzers and sending three officers to receive specialized training in handling BUIs.

This is the fifth year of Operation Dry Water, and 200 agencies, units and stations have registered to participate this weekend. According to the campaign’s website, 337 BUI citations were issued last year during Operation Dry Water weekend. The numbers of agencies, units, stations, officers, vessel contacts, boater contacts, citations, BUIs and safety warnings have increased each year since the program’s inception in 2009. The US Coast Guard says that alcohol contributed to 140 of the 651 recreational boating fatalities nationwide in 2012, and was the primary cause of the accident in over two-thirds of those cases. The Time noted that while overall boating deaths decreased by 14 percent in 2012, the percentage attributed to operating a vessel while intoxicated increased.

The Boston maritime trial lawyers at Latti & Anderson LLP encourage all boaters to have a safe and sober holiday on the water. You should also know that we represent clients nationwide who sustained injuries in drunk boating accidents, and you can contact our firm at (800) 392-6072 to schedule a free consultation or complete the form on this page to let our Jones Act attorneys review your case.

Latti & Anderson LLP – Jones Act lawyers