AUGUSTA – Maine law enforcement agencies will be out in strength this weekend in the air, on the water and on the roads. While most Mainers enjoy the long weekend, nearly every available officer, deputy sheriff, trooper and warden will be working.

“We [will be] out there for safety, not to write more tickets,” said Col. Craig Poulin, chief of the Maine State Police. “Our enforcement effort is based on where we have had accidents in the past with our hope to slow people down.”

Using crash data over the last five years, the state police have identified areas of the state where accidents are more likely to occur. They include locations on both the interstate and turnpike, and on other highways where the data indicate a crash is likely to occur over the holiday. “We call it the SAFE program for Strategic Area Focused Enforcement,” he said. “We have to use our resources as efficiently as possible and not make decisions based on a hunch.”

That targeted approach is also being used by the Warden Service of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Col. Tom Santaguida, chief of the wardens, said about a third of his entire force will be on or near the Sebago Lake region in Cumberland County this weekend.

“We have identified the area for an intensive effort,” he said. “We are putting a lot of people out there to increase our visibility and make sure people have fun on their holiday, but don’t get hurt.”

Santaguida said he expects a lot of folks on the water will be drinking too much beer and other alcoholic beverages. He said the Fourth of July weekend is always one with a lot of on-the-water OUI arrests. But, he said, the targeted enforcement does not mean wardens will not be patrolling other areas of the state.

“And it’s not limited to the lakes,” said Major John Fetterman, deputy chief of the Maine Marine Patrol. “We expect we will have a lot of [OUI] arrests this weekend, as we do every Fourth.”

He said every marine patrol officer will be working over the weekend, with safety being the primary mission. Besides patrolling the coastline, marine officers will assist with port security for U.S. Navy ships that are visiting Maine over the holiday.

“A lot of things have changed since 9-11,” Fetterman said. “We have many safety concerns whenever a lot of people gather, not just those that are drinking too much.”

He said the weekend also has a number of water-related activities that require increased marine patrol presence, including the lobster boat races in Jonesport.

Over the long weekend, the state police will use aircraft as well as special speed details equipped with radar and laser guns. Like the other agencies, all troopers will work at least part of the weekend on regular patrol as well as on the speed and OUI details.

The turnpike will have a considerable increase in patrols and special details. The York County section always has very heavy traffic over holiday periods, and Poulin said it needs special attention.

While the state agencies are among the largest law enforcement agencies in the state, they are not the only ones that will have increased patrols and visibility this weekend. Waldo County Sheriff Scott Storey, president of the Maine Sheriff’s Association, said sheriffs departments also will focus on increased OUI enforcement and speed details this weekend.

“We have worked cooperatively with local police in the past and I expect most will be again this year,” he said. “To tell you the truth, we really haven’t talked much about what each of us are doing. We just know we all have to make a major effort on the Fourth.”

Robert Schwartz, executive director of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association, said departments across the state will take advantage of federal grants to bolster patrols and set up OUI roadblocks.

“Many small departments do not have the manpower to do special details without paying overtime,” he said. “That’s where the federal funds are so important.”

Schwartz said local departments will team up with deputies or state troopers to get the personnel needed to run OUI roadblocks. He said there will be a lot of cooperative efforts over the holiday.

“We hope people get the message to slow down, don’t drink and drive anything, and enjoy the holiday without anyone getting hurt,” he said.