MARYLAND SUMMER HEAT PROGRAM TAKING PLACE AT THE BEACH

On June 30, 2010, the Ocean City Police Department, in partnership with Worcester County and Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, is hosting a news conference to kick off part two of the Summer Heat: From the Bay to the Beach in One Piece Program. The news conference will be held at 11 a.m. at the Isle of Wight Nature Park, on Rt. 90 and St. Martins Neck Road.

The Summer Heat: From the Bay to the Beach in One Piece Program is a partnership
between law enforcement agencies on the Eastern Shore. The program unites law
enforcement agencies in an effort to assure that travelers get to their vacation destination safely. The news conference will have members from each law enforcement agency involved in the program, in addition to speaking guests OCPD Chief Bernadette DiPino, Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Reggie Mason, Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis and Deputy Chief at the Maryland Highway Office Tom Gianni.

Along with guest speakers, law enforcement personnel will be demonstrating the
RADAR/LIDAR system and offering ride-alongs to interested media representatives. In
addition, 74 empty chairs will be displayed at the event in an effort to remember those individuals who lost their lives in fatal crashes from the bay to the beach.
“In 2008, 3,278 persons were injured in crashes on the Eastern Shore,” commented OCPD
Chief Bernadette DiPino. “The mission of the Summer Heat: From the Bay to the Beach in One Piece Program is to focus on traffic issues such as seat belt usage, speeding,
distracted driving, impaired driving and aggressive driving in hopes of decreasing crashes, minimizing fatalities and getting people to the bay to the beach safely.”

For more information on the Summer Heat: From the Bay to the Beach in One Piece
Program, please contact the Ocean City Police Department’s Public Affairs Office at
410.520.5395.