BUI Detection, Apprehension and Arrests Are Top Priority of TWRA

by Darren Rider, TWRA Marine Investigator

While patrolling the public waterways in Tennessee, detection, apprehension and arrests for boating under the influence (BUI) is given top priority by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). During 2000, TWRA law enforcers made 68 BUI arrests. In 1999, 73 BUI arrests were made. Until 1998, the average number of arrests was approximately 20 each year. TWRA is making a very strong effort to address the BUI issue and these statistics indicate measurable success.

The agency recently hired 25 part-time boating officers to work with the 38 existing part-time boating officers to help enforce “The Boating Safety Act of 1965.” This enforcement effort is also aided by approximately 173 full-time wildlife officers who enforce boating safety. In 2000, TWRA enforcement officers and boating officers worked over 42,500 hours in boating enforcement and prosecuted over 2,100 violations of boating laws and/or rule and regulation violations.

TWRA has trained all the recently hired part-time officers in BUI detection and apprehension with “wet labs.” Wet lab training is a program designed to train officers in (1) the identification of drunk boaters by observing the behavioral characteristics of volunteer inebriated subjects in a laboratory-controlled environment, (2) to perform sobriety tests and (3) to measure the level of BAC (blood alcohol content). All 200 commissioned officers in TWRA are required to attend the wet lab training to ensure safe boating in Tennessee. For some, it is a refresher course. For all, it is an annual in-service training.

With this strong effort in the BUI refresher courses held across the four regions of the state and the added enforcement manpower, TWRA displays unwavering dedication and commitment in continuing its efforts towards BUI detection.