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The following e-mail messages were exchanged regarding contacts with WDFW enforcement officers.
(Email to WDFW Director Jeff Koenings.) Dr. Koenings; I have a concern that I would like to share with you. I’ve spent a great deal of time over the past thirty years enjoying wildlife in one way or another with my family and friends. During this time I have been approached multiple times by enforcement officers of the Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife. Most of the encounters have been in vehicles on small, one-lane, forest roads. Of course, these roads are not always best suited for large or multiple vehicles and have many blind corners and hills. I’m sad to say that on every occasion of meeting an enforcement officer in a vehicle (5 instances in the last 7 years) I have felt that my safety has been put in jeopardy. On every occasion the enforcement officer has stopped and either quickly opened his vehicle door in my vehicles path or has quickly veered his vehicle into my lane of travel. This action is done purposefully and so that I can not pass with my vehicle, presumably to catch me off guard as they inspect my vehicle. Admittedly, the two vehicles are traveling at a low rate of speed (less than 15 mph) but in these close quarters it has been very difficult to stop in time. In one instance I had to steer my vehicle into the ditch to avoid hitting the door of the enforcement vehicle (no damage occurred to my vehicle). I believe these actions endanger lives and property and should not be tolerated. I realize that I am required to stop and surrender my license/etc to an enforcement officer, and I have no problem with that, but I believe the tactics taken by the enforcement officers I have seen is dangerous and unlawful. I am confident that this behavior is not condoned by management but please know that it is happening in the field. I have discussed this with family and friends and they have had similar experiences. I have also spoken with an acquaintance who is an enforcement officer and he said that this tactic is routinely used in the field to gain the “element of surprise”. Unfortunately, during these encounters I did not record the names of the officers involved so I do not have that to offer you. I would like to request three things of you and your department;
At a quick glance I did not see any constructive criticism mail posted on the WDFW-We Get Mail webpage but I hope you feel this proper to post there for others to see. If not please let me know. Thank you in advance, TLV ---------------- (Response from WDFW Director Jeff Koenings.) From: Jeff Koenings (director@dfw.wa.gov)
Dear Mr. TLV: Thank you for sharing your concern about contacts with our enforcement officers. Fish and Wildlife Officers make thousands of contacts from patrol vehicles with sportsmen and sportswomen each year. While an element of surprise is a helpful tool for detecting violations, we do not train or encourage officers to initiate contacts in a manner that is unsafe or would place the public or the officer in jeopardy. If contacts are being made in an unsafe manner, we will address the methods with staff to ensure officers perform their duties in as safe a manner as possible. Should you encounter another situation which you feel presents a hazard to you, please record the name of the officer involved, the date, time, location and all pertinent facts about the incident. This information should be directed to our Olympia headquarters enforcement staff for follow-up. We are committed to protecting the resources of Washington in a manner that also provides for the safety of the public we serve and the officers in the field. Again, thank you for your email. Jeff P. Koenings, Ph.D.
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