Friday, March 20, 2020

Ohio's wildlife officers pulled back on duties while metroparks rangers stay the course

During the on-going coronavirus crisis, officers with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife will not be performing “routine” fishing and hunting license checks.

Nor, it would appear, conduct clandestine law enforcement operations to check for suspicious and illegal activity. That would seemingly include undercover work along such places as the Maumee River, long a hot-spot for early spring walleye fishing.

This, from an inquiry made to the agency by “Ohio Outdoor News.”
Instead, the Natural Resources Department says, officers will only approach the public “...in non-emergency situation(s).”

But the agency did not elaborate as to what constitutes either an emergency or non-emergency situation, though clarification was sought but was not forthcoming.

The Natural Resources Department did say its staff will be “...monitoring our anglers from the shore, checking bald eagle nest reports, and monitoring our wildlife properties.”

However, sources within the Natural Resources Department’s law enforcement apparatus as well as agency retirees paint an entirely different picture.

Likewise, several county park districts say their respective ranger staffs continue to interact with the public they serve, including the Metroparks Toledo.

This metro parks operates the famous Side Cut Park, which is a preeminent Maumee River early spring walleye-run fishing hole.

Asked about ranger staffing and activity level of its 25-member ranger staff, Metroparks Toledo director of communications Scott Carpenter said the agency is encouraging its officers to continue interacting with the public, but exercise caution at the same time.

Some of them may be staying in their patrol cars more and not out on foot patrols or on bikes as much, but, no, we want to see people out as much as possible,” Carpenter said.

As for any closure of Side Cut Park, that is not an option the parks system is considering at the moment, Carpenter says as well.

Is there a safer place for people to be than standing in a river, fishing for walleye?” Carpenter said.

Lake Metroparks in Lake County also has a fully engaged ranger staff. Its officers continue to actively patrol and engage the public, including at that agency’s several popular steelhead fishing units along both the Grand and Chagrin rivers and several of the former’s tributaries, a parks official said.

Similarly, the Geauga Parks District’s seven-ranger staff continues to operate as close to normal as possible. This interaction is being done via patrol car and on foot, said agency spokeswoman, Sandy Ward.

(Our) ranger operations are still ‘business as usual’ currently; no changes in protocol, beyond perhaps the six-foot social distancing guidelines staff will be inclined to follow,” Ward says.

All of which is in sharp contrast to how the Natural Resources Department is addressing as to how its law enforcement staff operates.

Our priority right now is the health of the public and our officers, so they are practicing responsible interactions whenever possible which means things might look different than people are accustomed to,” said Sarah Wickham, the Natural Resources Department’s chief of communications.

Our wildlife officers are a vital part of our operation. We are working to protect our officers and the public while they do their very important work in this unique time.”

Yet not every Wildlife officer agrees, with some of them saying the Natural Resources Department is requiring its commissioned staff to work at home, not from home.

They have all of us staying home. Not allowed to go out and patrol,” said one commissioned officer who requested anonymity.

(They are) dissolving the covert operations unit, as well. We need more boots in the field not more supervisors. They want to save money but they are creating more top heavy positions,” the source said.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net
JFrischk4@gmail.com




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