Increased law enforcement patrols aim to make holiday weekend safe

Maine law enforcement agencies are stepping up efforts in traffic enforcement this weekend, taking to the air, patrolling roads and setting up roadblocks to curb errant drivers.

“We’re really looking to be out there and have a lot of our officers be proactive to keep things safe,” Sgt. Sean Hashey of the Maine State Police said Friday.

The Memorial Day weekend is considered the start of the summer season, and authorities are using it as a way to encourage motorists not only to buckle up but also to watch their speed and avoid drinking and driving.

“Memorial Day weekend sets the tone for the summer driving season, and the state police’s goal is to make it a safe one,” Col. Craig Poulin, chief of the state police, said earlier this week in a press statement.

The increased presence of deputies and police on patrol is expected to go a long way to promoting safe driving, Chief Deputy Troy Morton of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.

“The extra visibility of officers on the road is often all it takes to have people pay attention to what they are doing on the roads,” he said.

Even with such a gentle reminder in place, Morton also acknowledged that there has to be enforcement.

In Penobscot County, troopers are working cooperatively with the sheriff’s office, in what Morton described as “saturation patrols” where they jointly patrol areas they’ve determined to have higher rates of accidents or enforcement calls.

State police in the area began their tracking initiative, the Strategic Area Focus Enforcement, last year, Hashey said. They will be using that information to plan where to patrol and to set up roadblocks during the weekend.

In addition to the traditional cruiser enforcement, the state police will use an airplane to help track speeding motorists and troopers in unmarked cruisers will keep an eye out for aggressive or intoxicated drivers, Hashey said.

Police agencies statewide already are using the weekend as part of a two-week effort to call attention to seat belt use.

Last year, one person was killed during the Memorial Day weekend, although for the two years prior, there had been no deaths on Maine roads for the holiday.

“Drivers need to take personal responsibility by driving the speed limit, avoid drinking and driving, and using their safety belts,” Poulin said earlier this week.