PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The Rhode Island state police are sending additional officers to Block Island on the weekends following the deaths of two people in vehicle crashes within one week.
Members of the town council on New Shoreham, which is the municipality located on Block Island, said during a meeting Monday there will be “zero tolerance” for public drinking and traffic violations through the rest of the summer, the Providence Journal reported.
The state police found a grant to fund the deployment of the officers, but asked the town to find housing for them, the newspaper reported.
Block Island features winding and hilly roads, and businesses on the island rent mopeds and bicycles to visitors. One of the fatal crashes was a collision between a moped and an SUV.
Police and rescue personnel on the island are significantly understaffed because employees have opted not to work during the pandemic and risk exposure to the virus from visitors.
The town council’s emergency meeting session on Sunday was livestreamed, though it was in executive session, and watchers suggested limiting the number of mopeds, instituting a minimum age and collecting a large deposit for any rider.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.