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DOUGLAS COUNTY FOREST ACCESS MANAGEMENT PLAN CHAPTER 11 Enforcement Section Page 11.0 11.1 Objectives 11.2 Citizen 11.3 Role of the Douglas County Recreation Officer and the Sheriff’s 11.4 WDNR Conservation Warden’s 11.5 Role of the Douglas County District Attorney 11.6 Role of the Douglas County Forestry Department 11.7 Role of Local WDNR 11.8 Surveillance Cameras 11 - 1 11 - 1 11 - 1 11 - 1 11 - 2 11 - 2 11 - 2 11 - 3 11 - 3 ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 11 ENFORCEMENT 11.0 ENFORCEMENT Implementation of the Access Management Plan will require the enactment of appropriate regulatory mechanisms to help ensure the long-term viability of the Plan and the realization of recreational and resource management objectives within the Douglas County Forest. 11.1 Objectives The enforcement objectives of the Access Management Plan are to: Protect the public, employees, natural resources, and property under the jurisdiction of the DCFD. Investigate and enforce applicable laws and regulations that affect the County Forest. Prevent criminal violations by informing and educating visitors and the general public of applicable laws and regulations. 11.2 Citizen Involvement Douglas County encourages citizen involvement with the Access Management Plan. Citizens who observe a violation should report it directly to the County Sheriff’s Department at (715) 394-4432. Reports of violations to the Sheriff’s Department also can be directed to the DCFD at (715) 378-2219. Reports should include a detailed description of the violation, including the specific location of occurrence and any observation linking the violation to an individual. 11.3 Role of the Douglas County Recreation Officer and the Sheriff’s Department The primary responsibility of the Douglas County Recreation Officer is to enforce ATV, snowmobile, and boating rules and regulations and County Ordinances. The Recreation Officer travels in an assigned squad or DCFD ATV, snowmobile, or boat, patrolling trails, roads, and lakes. He or she also enforces State laws and County and City of Superior ordinances on County, State, and private property. This includes enforcing ordinances related to County-owned parks. The Recreation Officer also may be called upon to respond to emergencies, accidents, and violent or abusive criminal acts, and will enforce traffic laws and make warrant arrests. Douglas County forest land is a popular location for planting marijuana. As a result, the Recreation Officer also is responsible for identifying and arresting persons who commit narcotic offenses. The Recreation Officer also works with City of Superior police officers, Minnesota Conservation Wardens, WDNR Conservation Wardens, Wisconsin State patrol officers, and local constables in the course of his or her duties. ---PAGE BREAK--- ACCESS MANAGEMENT PLAN County Sheriff’s Deputies also enforce County ordinances and State laws. They may be called to both County forest land and County parks to respond to complaints and violations reported by DCFD staff or private citizens. Deputies also patrol routinely throughout the Forest and County parks. 11.4 WDNR Conservation Warden’s Role WDNR Conservation Wardens are primarily responsible for enforcing State regulations. They do not have jurisdiction to enforce County ordinances. Often they work closely with the County Sheriff’s Department, reporting ordinance violations while enforcing State statutes. Conservation Wardens have statutory authority to enforce State laws related to hunting, fishing, snowmobile and, ATV use, boating, and environmental protection on all State properties. Regarding recreational vehicles, Wardens can enforce laws and regulations related to helmet use, registration, age restrictions, equipment violations, intoxicated use, reckless operation, and trespass on private land. Wardens cannot enforce local ordinances related to speeding or trespassing on County land. Nor does enforcement authority apply to the use of go-karts or dirt bikes as these vehicles are not regulated by the WDNR. Wardens also may act on specific requests from local law enforcement agencies if a crime or violation is observed in their presence. The County Sheriff’s Department may request that a Warden take action when a violation of a county ordinance has been observed. They are authorized to take immediate action should a violation of State laws occur, e.g., damage to property. Wardens may be asked to participate in recreation-related patrols organized by the County Sheriff's Department. 11.5 Role of the Douglas County District Attorney The Douglas County District Attorney's Office is responsible for prosecuting violations of State and County statutes and regulations, and County ordinances. It acts on reports of violations forwarded by the County Sheriff's Department, WDNR officials, and local law enforcement agencies. The District Attorney's Office prosecutes violations related to hunting, fishing, snowmobile and, ATV use, boating, and environmental protection on all County properties. Convictions for violations can result in forfeitures and/or fines, revocation of hunting or fishing privileges, and possibly incarceration. 11.6 Role of the Douglas County Forestry Department Staff The role of the DCFD staff is to assist and support all aspects of enforcement on the County Forest. In many cases, staff members may be in the position to identify enforcement issues and take necessary steps to correct problems. If a violation of a County ordinance is observed, staff is instructed to record pertinent information and report the occurrence to the proper authorities. If a citizen observes and reports a violation, staff will instruct the person on the proper procedure for filing a complaint with a 11 - 2 ---PAGE BREAK--- CHAPTER 11: ENFORCEMENT 11 - 3 law enforcement officer. Staff will follow through with tips provided by citizens that may result in the issuance of a citation for violations of County ordinances. 11.7 Role of Local WDNR Staff The role of local WDNR personnel is to cooperate with DCFD staff, the County District Attorneys Office, and the County Sheriffs Department in enforcing rules and regulations as they pertain to access on the County Forest. As requested, WDNR staff will assist the DCFD in enforcing County ordinances that are outside of the WDNR’s jurisdiction. WDNR staff will take appropriate actions based on what is considered safe and reasonable in identifying, reporting, and documenting violations of a County ordinance, as well as reporting the person(s) responsible. 11.8 Surveillance Cameras New electronic surveillance technology has an important role in the enforcement of rules and regulations outlined in the Access Management Plan. This technology is secondary to the traditional law enforcement approaches toward enforcing regulations described in the Plan but is no less important. Surveillance cameras have been used on the County Forest since 2000 and have been instrumental in reducing timber theft and vandalism. Recent advancements in surveillance technology are particularly effective in helping identify individuals who violate County ordinances. Cameras can be setup quickly in problem areas and then checked periodically for evidence of violations. Although surveillance cameras are passive, information about their presence can act as a deterrent. Because of the sheer size of the County Forest, often the DCFD reacts to access violations with time- consuming and failed attempts to identify the perpetrator(s). Electronic surveillance cameras provide additional enforcement eyes, aiding greatly in the identification of individuals caught on camera. The cameras provide 24-hour surveillance, including weekends and holidays, even in remote and isolated areas of the Forest. The DCFD hopes that the increased use of electronic surveillance will result in more responsible behavior as users become aware of the cameras deployed throughout the Forest and their ability to identify perpetrators and store video/photo records as evidence.