The Wrangell Police Department and other agencies will ramp up patrols this week for the Fourth of July.
The majority of enforcement will be on July 3 and 4, when the U.S. Coast Guard will help patrol Wrangell’s waterways for Operation Dry Water. It’s a national campaign that deters boating under the influence of drugs and alcohol since 2009.
Wrangell Police Chief Gene Meek said although Operation Dry Water will take effect July 3 and 4, extra patrols will be in Wrangell throughout the week.
“The Coast Guard came to us when they wanted to do Operation Dry Water,” he said. “Us, being the Wrangell Police Department, because they know we have a large Fourth of July celebration each year.”
He said this is the first time he’ll be dealing with extensive multi-agency cooperation on such a large waterway.
Meek explained they will be watching out for reckless behavior.
“Obviously we’ll be watching for people drinking and driving, whether it’s a boat or a vehicle,” he said. “The Coast Guard will be all about safety inspections…We’ll be more along the lines of, ‘are you drinking and boating?’”
He said the agencies will patrol a wide area of waters surrounding Wrangell, from City Dock, the Stikine River, Banana Point near Petersburg and along Zimovia Strait.
He said he’s not sure how far out, but it will mostly be where people get together on the water near Wrangell and up the Stikine River for the festivities.
This will be the first time Wrangell will participate in Operation Dry Water.
The Petersburg Police Department and Alaska Wildlife Troopers will assist Wrangell police and the Coast Guard as well.
