The start of the outdoor recreation season brings more boats to area waterways and the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office is on the lookout for people operating vessels under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
“We’re always on the lookout for intoxicated people to put an end to impaired boating,” said Chief Deputy Lane Magill, who will be sworn into office as sheriff on May 9.
The purpose of marine patrols, said Magill, is to ensure that accidents and deaths do not happen as the result of impaired boating.
Toward that end, the sheriff’s office will partner with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and the U.S. Coast Guard for Operation Dry Water June 24-26. Patrols will increase during that time to raise public awareness prior to the July 4 holiday about the dangers of impaired boating.
More officers will be on the water and at recreational boating checkpoints, said Magill.
“We know there will be a lot of boaters out enjoying the warmer weather and we want boaters to know we will be out making sure the water stays safe for them to enjoy.”
“Just as drinking and driving on the road is illegal and dangerous, we want to emphasize that drinking and boating is equally as dangerous and can lead to equal consequences as well, including arrests, termination of voyage, serious injuries and even death.”
Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in recreational boating deaths in the United States. In Oregon and Washington, it is illegal to operate a vessel with a blood alcohol concentration level of .08 or higher, the same as it is to operate a vehicle.
People found impaired and operating a boat will be arrested, said Magill.
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