GOSHEN – Orange County law enforcement officials met Tuesday afternoon to remind residents and commuters to be responsible during the upcoming holiday.
Sheriff personnel, local and state police plan a coordinated effort to keep Orange County safe for Thanksgiving
As many families come together over the long Thanksgiving weekend to celebrate and possibly drink, officials are urging the public to be mindful and plan accordingly. There are many free safe-rider and ride sharing services available to the public and people are encouraged to use them if necessary.
Deputy Commissioner of Emergency Services for Orange County Craig Cherry asked motorists to reflect on the fact that they are not the only ones on the road.
“Be sure that, when you go out there with your family, you make the right decisions,” said Cherry. “You’re not only making the decision for yourself, you’re making a decision for everyone in your car and everyone out there, whom you’re sharing the road with.”
DuBois: “Why take the chance?”
The Orange County 2018 budget allocated $260,000 towards the DWI fund, which will go directly towards holiday patrols and DWI checkpoints. That money comes solely funded through the fine revenue of previous DWI offenders.
Considering there are so many safe options for transportation, Orange County Sheriff Carl DuBois said law enforcement will not be lenient with those who decide to drive under the influence.
“If you do that and you get caught, there’s plenty of room at the inn over at the Orange County Jail and the surrounding jails of the counties’ and we’ll accommodate you. We have a district attorney, here in Orange County, that will prosecute you,” said Dubois. “Why take that chance? Why take that chance of making a bad holiday- a bad memory; and maybe, possibly, injuring yourself, injuring others, or some kind of fatality.”
STOP DWI New York has a free app, available for download from GooglePlay, the Apple App store and the Windows store, to help plan commutes over the holiday. This software will assist folks in their ride availability, planning and pickup, if they require a designated driver.
