HAWTHORNE, NY — Westchester County Police will be conducting increased enforcement through New Year’s Day to curb speeding, aggressive driving and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In addition, the County Police will have extra officers working during the significant storm that is forecast for this evening and Friday.
“Our goal as always is to do everything we can to keep Westchester’s parkways safe for those who will be traveling on them during the holiday season,” Commissioner Thomas A. Gleason said. “There is zero tolerance for drivers who put others at risk by speeding, driving aggressively or driving while impaired.”
Gleason also said the County Police are prepared to respond to flooding or other emergencies that may result from the storm.
Patrol officers will be deployed to close parkways or sections of parkways that become flooded. Additional Emergency Service Unit officers will also be on duty. ESU officers carry equipment that can be used to clear downed trees that are blocking parkways and are trained to conduct rope rescues and swift water rescues of persons trapped by flooding.
The commissioner said County Police have observed an increase in speeding and other aggressive driving this year because traffic volume was lighter due to the pandemic. County Police have continually conducted enforcement throughout the year, issuing more than 13,000 summonses for violations of Vehicle & Traffic Law.
The Department of Public Safety and other agencies in Westchester are participating in a STOP-DWI enforcement campaign that will begin tonight and continue through New Year’s Day. The County Police will be increasing its enforcement of Driving While Intoxicated laws along the Bronx River, Cross County, Saw Mill and Hutchinson River parkways.
The county’s Office of Drug Abuse Prevention and STOP-DWI assists in coordinating joint law enforcement initiatives such as the current enforcement campaign.
The Office of Drug Abuse Prevention and STOP-DWI also conducts numerous programs for schools and community groups to educate the public about the dangers of impaired driving, the increased certainty of arrest and the serious penalties faced by drivers convicted of DWI.
