DWI Enforcement Begins Memorial Day Weekend In Long Beach

LONG BEACH, NY — Drivers in Freeport and Long Beach will face enhanced an DWI enforcement on the roads throughout the summer.

The checkpoints are funded by $60,000 in grants from the Nassau County District Attorney's office.

The DWI enforcement program runs from Memorial Day weekend through early October.

"In a nine-day span last August, seven people were tragically killed and another six were injured in four separate crashes on our Nassau County roadways involving a drug or alcohol-impaired driver. It was horrifying, and it cannot happen again this summer," said Nassau County D.A. Anne Donnelly.

The grants, fully funded by criminal asset forfeiture provided by NCDA, will be used to provide hundreds of hours of dedicated manpower to combat drunken and drugged driving.

The stepped-up enforcement will be staffed by officers who are trained in field sobriety tests, breath analysis and drug recognition.

"The days between Memorial Day and Labor Day are often referred to as ‘the hundred deadliest days’ due to DWIs and other mitigating factors," said Long Beach Acting Police Commissioner Richard DePalma. "District Attorney Donnelly's support for increased patrols throughout the summer is literally going to save lives."

Between 2014 and 2023, Long Beach police made more than 1,000 DWI arrests, including 268 drug-related DWI arrests.

Patrols will focus on times of high traffic, including weekends and holidays, and locations where DWI’s are most likely to take place, like bars, waterfront areas and outdoor restaurants.