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Highlands Today

Law Enforcement Is Watching This Holiday Weekend

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By Dan  Fearson | Highlands Today

Published: September 2, 2007

SEBRING — The beaches will be full, boats will be out, grills will be fired up, and people will be looking for things to do this Labor Day weekend. All the more reason to pay special attention to your personal safety while you're enjoying your days off of work.

"Just be cautious," said Nell Frewin Hays, a crime prevention specialist with the Highlands County Sheriff's Office. "Have a good time and enjoy yourself, but be responsible."

The best tip Hays has for people may be obvious: don't drink and operate a motorized vehicle.

"Accidents are almost always higher during holiday weekends because there are so many more people out," said Hays. "Don't drink and drive your boat, Jet Ski, or any other motor vehicle after you've been drinking."

More Florida Fish and Wildlife officers will be patrolling local parks, lakes and shoreline this weekend than usual to promote boater safety and boating-under-the-influence laws, making it important for boat operators to have proper identification and tags.

"The first thing we tell people is to stay alert," said spokesman Gary Morse. "If you're out on the boat you need to pay close attention to the weather and the objects around you-including people."

Morse said that boating accidents are usually caused by inattention by the operator. There have been 52 boating fatalities this year. With more people on the water because of the holiday, it's even more important for operators to stay alert.

Morse also said that wearing a life-jacket can be a life saver.

"There's no real reason why anyone on the water should not being wearing a life jacket," said Morse.

"It's not uncommon for young, healthy men to drown," said Capt. Richard Moore of FWC's Boating and Waterways Section. "No one expects to fall overboard — that is why it is important to have a life jacket on, whether you are anchored or not."

There have been 27 drowning deaths this year in Florida waters.

And it's important to remember that drinking and operating a boat can be just as dangerous as operating a car, if not more.

"Don't drink and operate a boat," said Morse. "Because of the sun and the heat, it can have a more negative impact on your operating functions than it would normally have."

Although the sheriff's office said that they typically see more accidents on the road over extended holiday weekends because of the number of people outside, they don't plan on having more patrol cars out for the weekend. Representatives for the Florida Highway Patrol's office in Arcadia also said that they're not planning on having extra patrol cars in the county.

The story is the same for local police departments, which intend to pay sharp attention to the road.

"We're going to be doing what we can with what we have," noted Lake Placid Police Chief Phil Williams. "We're going to be paying special attention to DUIs, but we won't have an extra patrol on the roads."

The Avon Park Police Department will carry on with normal patrol for the weekend.

"We don't have any special plans for the weekend like bringing in more officers," said Police Cmdr. Mike Rowan. "We'll probably focus a lot on patrol, obviously there will be more traffic going through the area because of the holiday."

For information about accidents, or to report problems including possible drunk drivers or crashes while traveling, you can call *FHP (*347) on your phone. The number will connect you to the nearest FHP station.

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