As people enjoy all their town has to offer during the Fourth of July celebrations, there will be a visible increased presence of law enforcement officials on the water.

Police Chief Gene Meek has announced that, for the first time, the police department will participate in “Operation Dry Water” throughout the holiday festivities.

“It’s a national program, where agencies will be focusing on deterring criminal activity and water safety. Concentrated focus will be on narcotics, drunk boating, drunk driving and reckless behavior on land and water,” he explained. “We’re excited to have so many agencies working together to promote safety in our community.”

Meek said the campaign will involve officers from Wrangell, state wildlife troopers and mutual aid from the Petersburg Police Department. In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard will actively patrol the waters around the borough.

“We’ll be focused on individuals who are exhibiting reckless behavior,” Meek said. “The Coast Guard, of course, will be focused on the safety of everyone on the water.”

He further explained that officers will patrol all commonly used local waters — including the Stikine River.

“I’m not exactly sure how far we will patrol the river,” Meek said. “Since this is the first year, we will be establishing those patrol areas and getting familiar with those boundaries. We’ll go however far we need to go.”

Operation Dry Water is a national campaign that was started in 2009 by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. Meek said the primary purpose is to ensure people can safely enjoy their Independence Day celebrations.

“We want all of our residents and visitors to have a fun-filled, exciting but safe Fourth of July but … please do it safely,” he said.