Labor Day Weekend Busy For Maryland Natural Resources Police

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ANNAPOLIS — Ideal weather conditions this Labor Day holiday weekend kept the Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) busy as they checked over 2,000 vessels and made over 7,000 contacts on Maryland’s waterways, and over 9,000 contacts on Maryland’s public and private lands.

NRP made a total of 7,622 boating contacts and performed 2,456 vessel safety checks over the three-day weekend that traditionally marks the end of the summer boating season. Officers issued 262 citations and 796 warnings on the state’s waterways, an 85 percent increase from 2006. In the process, they also arrested five individuals for operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol, up 25 percent from last year. In addition, NRP investigated 20 boating accidents, three of which involved personal watercraft (PWC).

On the state’s public lands, NRP made 8,063 contacts and issued 181 citations and 319 warnings. Six individuals were subsequently arrested for criminal acts and five for operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. On private property, NRP made 1,254 contacts, issuing 38 citations and 53 warnings, and investigated 69 hunting violations and one hunting accident.

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September 5, 2007

The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) is the enforcement arm of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). With an authorized strength of 280 officers and a dedicated staff of civilian and volunteer personnel, the NRP provide a variety of services in addition to conservation and boating law enforcement duties throughout the State of Maryland. These services include homeland security, search and rescue, emergency medical services, education, information and communications services on a round the clock basis. NRP is the only police force aside from the Maryland State Police that has statewide jurisdiction.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov