LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Officers want to make sure people are following the rules on the water this Fourth of July weekend.
Officers will be patrolling the waters and mainly looking out for people who are drinking.
Under Kentucky law, drinking alcohol on public waterways is illegal, even for passengers.
A new law just went into effect, toughing up on offenders.
Before this law, if an accident happened, the officer would need to see the person operating the boat to charge them.
Now, they can make an arrest based on probable cause.
“If there’s an accident on the water and there’s property damage or physical injury and the driver is intoxicated, we can arrest him just like we witnessed him driving the boat,” said Conservation Officer Jason Wells.
Police will also be looking out for safety violations, such as no life vests.
