Quote:
Originally Posted by winnipesaukeenh
Asking for a records check to see if the person is a valid boat operator wouldn't take a lot of time at all. Of course, not every operator that gets pulled over will go through this check, but if need be, MP has the resources to perform this check. To my knowledge, there are by far more day shift officer's throughout the state than there are night shift officer's, so i'm sure that running a quick check on someone wouldn't prove to be inconvenient if the officer is inclined to do so.
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At first blush...that seems plausible but only if the boating certificate information was universally available. Boating Ed is a separate entity from MP. They issue certificates to people who have taken the course through their program. Many other certificates are issued through the Coast Guard and individual states. Some are obtained on line. There is no central database that contains all this information.
Motor Vehicle records are available through the SPOTS network that is tied in with every other state. To my knowledge, boating records are not.
The Boating Education certificate is not a license, is issued just once and does not get points or penalties assessed against it. It is just proof that the holder has passed a course as required by law.
Keep in mind that it is not the officer's responsibility to prove the boater has one, so running a records check, if even possible, would not be necessary.