HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, June 29, 2023) – The minions of the law are not only going to be out in force on area roadways this coming extended Independence Day holiday weekend, but also on area waterways.
Operation Dry Water is a multi-jurisdictional, nationwide effort to heighten awareness and enforcement of boating under the influence. According to Ottawa County Sheriff’s Sergeant Jon Knott, head of his department’s Marine Unit, this not only means drunken boating, but since Michigan voters approved recreational marijuana use five years ago, it also means boating while high on weed.
The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators claims that, since it began this initiative in 2009, the number of boating fatalities with alcohol named as a contributing factor has decreased nationwide. Last year, over 78 hundred officers in 630 participating agencies wrote up nearly 12 thousand tickets and made 794 boating under the influence arrests – all record highs.
As for motoring on highways, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning is funneling federal funds for extra state police and local law enforcement patrols in a month-long “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement initiative that begins on Saturday.
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