Suffolk DA announces East End DWI Task Force Labor Day weekend crackdown

The East End DWI Task Force will conduct enhanced patrols this holiday weekend, Suffolk District Attorney Tim Sini announced today.

“Labor Day weekend is a great time to celebrate the unofficial end of summer on the East End, but we ask that you do so responsibly,” Sini said in a statement.

“If you’re going to be out drinking, make a plan to get home safely. Officers on the East End DWI Task Force will be out in force to crack down on impaired driving and to protect our roadways from motorists who make the reckless decision to drink or do drugs and get behind the wheel of a car,” the DA said.

The East End DWI Task Force will deploy officers to several DWI checkpoints at strategic locations in high-traffic areas, the DA’s office said in a press release. Officers at these checkpoints will be equipped with breathalyzers and will conduct field sobriety tests if they believe a motorist has been drinking or doing drugs and driving.

The East End DWI Task Force comprises law enforcement officers from the New York State Police Department, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Police Department, East Hampton Town Police Department, East Hampton Village Police Department, Quogue Village Police Department, Riverhead Police Department, Sag Harbor Police Department, Shelter Island Police Department, Southampton Town Police Department, Southampton Village Police Department, Southold Town Police Department and Westhampton Beach Police Department.

Funding for the Task Force is provided through the District Attorney’s Office’s asset forfeiture program as well as the Suffolk County STOP-DWI program, the district attorney’s office said.

Since the East End DWI Task Force was formed in 2012, it has made approximately 600 DWI arrests on holidays and peak tourism weekends throughout the year, according to the release. In 2017, nine people were arrested by the Task Force over Labor Day weekend, the DA’s office said.