East End DWI Task Force 'Out In Force' In Labor Day Crackdown: DA

EAST END, NY — Enhanced patrols are ready to crack down on drunk or drugged drivers on the East End over Labor Day weekend, Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini said.

On Friday, Sini announced the DA's East End DWI Task Force's efforts to deter people from driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the holiday weekend.

“Labor Day weekend is a great time to celebrate the unofficial end of summer on the East End, but we ask that you do so responsibly,” Sini said. “If you’re going to be out drinking, make a plan to get home safely. Officers on the East End DWI Task Force will be out in force to crack down on impaired driving and to protect our roadways from motorists who make the reckless decision to drink or do drugs and get behind the wheel of a car.”

The East End DWI Task Force will deploy officers to several DWI checkpoints at strategic locations in high-traffic areas, he said. Officers at these checkpoints will be equipped with breathalyzers and will conduct field sobriety tests if they believe a motorist has been drinking or doing drugs and driving.

Since the East End DWI Task Force was formed in 2012, it has made approximately 600 DWI arrests on holidays and peak tourism weekends throughout the year. In 2017, nine people were arrested by the Task Force over Labor Day weekend, Sini said.

The police officers who serve on the task force were deputized earlier this year by the DA, giving them jurisdiction to serve in enforcement efforts throughout the East End, Sini said.

“The police departments on the East End do an outstanding job keeping residents and visitors safe year-round, particularly during the summer season when the population explodes,” Sini said. “Through the East End DWI Task Force, we are able to share and deploy resources in an even more effective, strategic way during holiday weekends and other times of high traffic. I thank and commend all the law enforcement officers on the task force for their work in ensuring that our roadways are safe from impaired drivers.”

Patch file photo.