The MD NRP is now outlining a plan of action that will run through Labor Day weekend. Lt. Col. Ken Ziegler, acting superintendent of NRP, has authorized additional weekend patrols from now through Labor Day weekend. These patrols are dedicated to boating safety. Officers will be checking for life jackets and other required safety equipment, looking for reckless boaters, and targeting alcohol- and drug-impaired operators.
Ziegler stressed, “This safety campaign is not about writing tickets or generating revenue. It is geared toward keeping our citizens and visitors safe so that they can return again and again to enjoy Maryland’s waters, state parks, and beaches.”
In addition to the patrols, NRP will boost its presence at the state’s busiest marinas and boat ramps for the next four weekends. Members of NRP’s reserve officers corps will also be offering free boat inspections and safety pamphlets at various parks. For the full list of boat inspection sites and to read the full story, click here.
Monday, August 17, 2015 - 11:00
In light of the latest boating fatality in Maryland, the Natural Resources Police (NRP) issued this statement:
"Boating accidents have claimed the lives of 17 people so far this year, five more than all of 2014 and just two below the highest total in recent years. The victims ranged in age from 7-63. The last three fatalities have been in the waters of Anne Arundel County. They all had one thing in common: None of them thought anything bad was going to happen to them that day.
Priority No. 1: Getting boaters to wear life jackets. At least 14 of this year’s fatalities involved people who were not wearing a life jacket. It only takes 60 seconds for an adult to drown and 20 seconds for a child to drown. Yet, in many cases, life jackets are stowed out of reach or they are still in their original shrink wrapping. Life jackets only work when you wear them."
The MD NRP is now outlining a plan of action that will run through Labor Day weekend. Lt. Col. Ken Ziegler, acting superintendent of NRP, has authorized additional weekend patrols from now through Labor Day weekend. These patrols are dedicated to boating safety. Officers will be checking for life jackets and other required safety equipment, looking for reckless boaters, and targeting alcohol- and drug-impaired operators.
Ziegler stressed, “This safety campaign is not about writing tickets or generating revenue. It is geared toward keeping our citizens and visitors safe so that they can return again and again to enjoy Maryland’s waters, state parks, and beaches.”
In addition to the patrols, NRP will boost its presence at the state’s busiest marinas and boat ramps for the next four weekends. Members of NRP’s reserve officers corps will also be offering free boat inspections and safety pamphlets at various parks. For the full list of boat inspection sites and to read the full story, click here.
The MD NRP is now outlining a plan of action that will run through Labor Day weekend. Lt. Col. Ken Ziegler, acting superintendent of NRP, has authorized additional weekend patrols from now through Labor Day weekend. These patrols are dedicated to boating safety. Officers will be checking for life jackets and other required safety equipment, looking for reckless boaters, and targeting alcohol- and drug-impaired operators.
Ziegler stressed, “This safety campaign is not about writing tickets or generating revenue. It is geared toward keeping our citizens and visitors safe so that they can return again and again to enjoy Maryland’s waters, state parks, and beaches.”
In addition to the patrols, NRP will boost its presence at the state’s busiest marinas and boat ramps for the next four weekends. Members of NRP’s reserve officers corps will also be offering free boat inspections and safety pamphlets at various parks. For the full list of boat inspection sites and to read the full story, click here.