Game wardens with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism were out in force over the weekend patrolling Kansas waters in an effort to keep people safe while they enjoyed their holiday weekend. Warm weather over the weekend provided favorable conditions for increased boat traffic at Kansas lakes and reservoirs. The three day holiday reporting period ran from 7:00 pm Thursday July 3rd to 11:59 pm Sunday July 6th.

According to the agency, during the reporting period game wardens arrested 13 people for boating under the influence of alcohol on Kansas Reservoirs. In addition to the favorable boating conditions over the weekend contributing to the number of BUI arrests, game wardens are now certified in standardized field sobriety testing that can be conducted with suspected impaired boaters while still on the water. This sobriety testing skill has resulted in an increase in BUI arrests in Kansas over the past few years keeping more people safe while they enjoy their time at the lake. New this summer for the KDWPT Law Enforcement division is their own mobile breath alcohol unit complete with an intoxilyzer 8000, which is being utilized this summer to aid game wardens with BUI interdiction.

Of these 13 BUI arrests 3 were made at each Perry and Kanopolis reservoirs, and 2 were at both Wilson, and Cedar Bluff reservoirs. Other BUI arrests were made by game wardens at Eldorado, Glen Elder, and Cheney reservoirs.

Other enforcement activity reported during the holiday weekend includes game wardens recovering the body of an 18 year old drowning victim in Montgomery County, two boat accidents investigations were completed, one at Kanopolis where a boat sank and a boat fire / explosion at Clinton. Fortunately no injuries were reports with either of these accidents.

A game warden K9 unit was utilized over the weekend to locate a person in need of assistance in Sumner County resulting in the person being found safe.