Politics & Government
NRP Considers Bumperbash a Success Despite Incidents and Citations
Natural Resource Police say the crowd was supportive of their presence and many spent the night on anchored boats.
Nearly 3,000 people—many partying and imbibing in alcohol—and about 800 boats, make for a scene of potential drama on the water for local police and fire departments.
Although the Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) responded to several incidents at Saturday’s Bumper Bash at Dobbins Island in the Magothy River, "Everything was minor in nature," said Sgt. Art Windemuth, public information officer for the Natural Resources Police (NRP).
The Anne Arundel County Police Department took an ariel photo at 3:30 p.m. Saturday to record how many boats were anchored around Dobbins Island. The high resolution photo recorded about 830 boats (not including personal watercraft). About 700 boats were recorded in 2010. This year's more coordinated efforts among police and fire departments will allow officials to compare incidents from year to year.
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Officials estimate about four people per boat, making the total close to 3,000 visitors, said Windemuth.
NRP and Anne Arundel County Police responded to 14 fights and disorderly situations, arrested three people for operating a vessel while intoxicated and arrested one person on an outstanding warrant, according to a NRP release.
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NRP also reportedly charged two people with underage possession of an alcoholic beverage and one person with theft.
Officers issued 59 citations and gave out 44 warnings.
As for driving while intoxicated, "We are on the lookout for it and a lot of individuals spent the night on their boats," Windemuth said. "We take alcohol and boating very seriously."
"We try to learn as we go forward, it was a success. Generally speaking, the crowd was well behaved and their were relatively few minor incidents," said Windemuth, adding that the crowd was very supportive of their presence.
"We needed the public support to help it go smoothly and we did get it," he said.
The Anne Arundel County Fire department responded to 10 medical incidents where three were transported to area medical centers for minor injuries.
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