6/27/2005
Wolf packs patrol Lake Pleasant
during July 4 holiday weekend
News Media
PHOENIX - Arizona Game and Fish Department law enforcement officers will
take part in a wolf pack patrol of Lake Pleasant on July 3 to try and remove
drunk boat operators from the water and to ensure a safe holiday on the
lake.
"Wolf pack patrols are different from operating under the influence (OUI)
checkpoints, in that a checkpoint is where boaters are stopped when they
pass through one location. A wolf pack is when officers team up to patrol
the entire lake and perform safety inspections and screen for alcohol
consumption," says Arizona Game and Fish Department Boating Law
Administrator Kevin Bergersen.
Drinking alcohol while boating can result in the following changes in your
body, especially when compounded with Arizona's hot temperatures:
 | Slowed reaction and reflexive response time. |
| Reduced depth perception, vision and focus. |
| An inner ear disturbance making it impossible to distinguish up from down when suddenly immersed in cool water. |
| Diminished judgment, motor skills, peripheral vision, balance, and the ability to process information. |
The legal blood alcohol limit in Arizona is .08, which is the same for
boat operators as it is for drivers of automobiles.
"A boat operator with a blood alcohol content of more than .10 is ten times
more likely to be killed in a boating accident than a boater with a blood
alcohol content of zero," says Bergersen.
Game and Fish Department officers will pair up with officers from the
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for the holiday wolf pack patrols. Officers
will be looking for intoxicated boat operators and boats without proper
safety equipment.
By law, all boats must have a fully charged fire extinguisher on board, life
jackets that fit each person on the boat, and (if the boat is larger than 16
feet) a throwable floatation device.
"We like to remind parents to make sure children wear a properly-fitted life
jacket while they're participating in summer lake activities, and that
Arizona law requires all kids younger than 12 years to wear a life vest
while on board a watercraft," says Tonya Norwood-Pearson, boat and water
safety coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Click Here To Return To The Previous Page
