Suffolk County to see more police patrols on roads, water beginning now and over the summer

Suffolk County authorities are increasing patrols on the roads and the water ahead of Memorial Day weekend and through the summer.

Police will have an additional four officers and one sergeant on patrol this summer, in addition to 17 highway patrol officers and three sergeants targeting driving while under the influence of drugs and alcohol and intoxicated boating, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said on Wednesday.

"This Memorial Day weekend really marks the unofficial start of summer, and this summer to Labor Day is the most dangerous time to be on the roadways or on our waterways," Catalina said. "This brings us up to levels that we haven't seen in the highway unit since the early 2000s. We're going to continue to dedicate our resources whenever possible to highway enforcement, recognizing that is something that affects every individual who lives or comes into Suffolk County."

Last year Suffolk police arrested 29 people for DWI during Memorial Day weekend, and made 336 DWI arrests between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Nassau County police also will increase DWI patrols for Memorial Day weekend, the department said.

Last year, Nassau police made 21 DWI arrests over four days from Friday through Monday.

Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine said police would be targeting drunken, drugged and distracted drivers on the roads.

"We’re going to try to make this the safest summer ever," Romaine said. "Don’t put people at risk on our roads. Our roads are dangerous enough."

Traffic deaths

Suffolk County has led the state in traffic deaths for the past decade, while Long Island has recorded more than 2,100 fatalities between 2014 and 2023, according to Newsday's Dangerous Roads analysis. More than 16,000 people were seriously injured during that period. 

Catalina said highway officers, trained in identifying intoxicated drivers, will work with the Suffolk police boating unit to look for intoxicated boaters on the water.

"We want to remind everybody that we will be out there," Catalina said. "We're not going to tell you when, we're not going to tell you where, but they will be out there, and they will be issuing summonses for that and possibly arrests as well."

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney and Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. also announced a partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound to patrol the waters, including the Great South Bay.

Prosecutors said BWIs are the leading cause of fatal boating crashes. Authorities said they would enforce additional boating regulations including illegal discharge, life jackets and the full implementation of Brianna's Law this year, which requires all boat operators to conduct a boating safety course.

The district attorney, who is part of the East End Marine Law Enforcement Task Force, also launched a new Aqua Alert, modeled after Amber Alerts for missing children, that will to send mobile alerts about emergencies on the water, including missing persons and vessels last seen on the water. 

"By establishing this real-time alert system, another vital tool has been created for law enforcement to respond swiftly to emergencies and potentially criminal activities on our waterways." Tierney said in a statement on Wednesday.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.