Glen Cove, Suffolk getting new patrol boats, Cuomo announces
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, seen Oct. 29, 2017, said that Long Island will get two of five new patrol boats being assigned statewide. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Long Island is getting two new law enforcement patrol boats for Glen Cove and Suffolk County to enforce safe boating.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo assigned the boats to Long Island, in addition to three boats assigned to the Department of Environmental Conservation in the Hudson Valley, the Niagara unit of the New York State Police and the Yates County Sheriff’s Department in the Finger Lakes.
Each boat is valued at $150,000 and funded through the U.S. Coast Guard’s Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund.
Glen Cove and Suffolk County police will each receive a 24-foot Justice model in July to assist with recreational boating safety and enforce the New York State Navigation Law, the governor’s office said Friday.
“As the summer season gets underway, it is essential for local law enforcement to have the tools available to enforce our boating safety laws,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said. “I thank Gov. Cuomo for delivering these patrol vessels to our waters to help meet our obligation and keep residents safe.”
The boats were assigned as the state kicks off National Safe Boating Week from Saturday to Friday. Boaters are required by law to keep all children under 12 in life vests, the governor’s office said.
Boaters are also asked to complete a safe boating course, keep proper speed and not drink while boating. Boaters are advised to seek immediate shelter when thunder can be heard.
Kayakers, canoers and paddleboarders should also keep close to shorelines and out of main channels, officials said.
“With our exceptional rivers, lakes and coastal waters, New York is home to some of the best recreational boating in the nation,” Cuomo said in a statement. “These new vessels will help state and local law enforcement keep our waterways safe and welcoming for New Yorkers and visitors alike.”
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.