Good questions!
But, nothing nefarious here.
I suspect the Director will be putting his most experienced officers in areas and at times that statistics and experience tell him the greatest chance of boating while intoxicated occurs.
An experienced officer knows which types of violations under given circumstances indicate the possibility of intoxication.
The solution here is simple folks. Do not operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and especially do not be drinking and boating this upcoming weekend.
Remember, a large part of this campaign is to prevent BUI arrests before they can happen. The widespread publicity is intentional, it is meant to force the public to think before drinking and getting behind the helm. If the publicity stops but one person from doing so, then the whole effort was successful.
Finally, yes....in every large organization there are times and there are people that make mistakes or just plain aren't good at what they do. If you are genuinely harrassed or mistreated by a law enforcement officer, then by all means file a timely report to the agency responsible. Grousing here on the internet solves nothing.
But remember, the men & women that make up NHMP are by far (with very few exceptions) dedicated professionals that truly spend their time and training on the water to protect all of us, just as is the case with all others involved in law enforcement, fire services and EMS/RESCUE.
Know the rules, boat with common sense and courtesy and always have a sober skipper at the helm. If you follow that simple advice the most you should ever receive from an NHMP officer is a friendly wave!
