ANNAPOLIS (Sept. 5, 2007) - Ideal weather conditions this Labor Day holiday weekend kept the Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) busy as they checked over 2,000 vessels and made over 7,000 contacts on Maryland’s waterways, and over 9,000 contacts on Maryland’s public and private lands.
NRP made a total of 7,622 boating contacts and performed 2,456 vessel safety checks over the three-day weekend that traditionally marks the end of the summer boating season. Officers issued 262 citations and 796 warnings on the state’s waterways, an 85 percent increase from 2006. In the process, they also arrested five individuals for operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol, up 25 percent from last year. In addition, NRP investigated 20 boating accidents, three of which involved personal watercraft.
On the state’s public lands, NRP made 8,063 contacts and issued 181 citations and 319 warnings. Six individuals were subsequently arrested for criminal acts and five for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. On private property, NRP made 1,254 contacts, issuing 38 citations and 53 warnings, and investigated 69 hunting violations and one hunting accident.