06-25-2003, 06:17 PM
I sent Tom Pettengill the following message:
“Hi Tom. It appears that the UDWR is monitoring Strawberry much more closely this year than in recent years. For this I am most grateful. Any idea how you were able to find the resources to do this? Also, does the UDWR end up with the fines imposed for wildlife violations or do they go into the state funds? Also, is there a set amount that is assessed for each various violation, or is it totally up to the discretion of the judge?
As always thank you.
Kent”
Here is the response from one of Tom’s fellow UDWR state employees:
“Hi Kent,
As a result of complaints in past years and the new regulations at Strawberry we have shifted personnel from other areas. Last weekend, we had an administrative checkpoint which required most the officers from the central region of the state. Which meant there were no officers in Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah, Juab or Wasatch counties other than what was at the check point. One officer was left behind to cover emergencies. Our budgets continue to get reduced. The officer we had in Heber transferred to another district and we were not able to fill in behind her, in the past we relied heavily on that officer assisting at Strawberry. The region cooked the food for the officers at the roadblock to minimize expenses so the overall operation did not cost much in additional money, other than leaving a good part of the state without an officer. As far as the fine money goes it is a little more complicated. There is a uniform bail schedule, however, a judge may assess what ever they feel is justified once they have heard the facts of the case. A portion of the fine money does go back to the division, however, it does not come back specifically for law enforcement it goes in the wildlife resources restricted account. Courts take out a percentage, then there is a victim restitution assessment (we do not see that money) and then some justice courts send the division the balance and others don't. The Division has chose not to push this issue since many counties provide dispatch services and a county attorneys to prosecute our cases. I hope I answered your questions.”
In response to asking for more details I received the following:
“On June 22nd officers from the CRO conducted a compliance checkpoint at Strawberry Reservoir. Fishing had improved from two weeks prior. Anglers reported catching many fish over the weekend. Compliance with the slot limit regulation was poor. Anglers either claimed to be not aware of the regulation or were unable to distinguish between a rainbow and a cutthroat trout. Some of the fish seized by officers exibited markings that appeared to be a hybrid cross. Citations were issued for the following violations:
Unlawful taking of protected wildlife- over/under legal size limit. 36
Fishing without a valid license. 7
Unlawful method of fishing- more than one pole. 1
Open container of alcohol in a vehicle. 6
Possession of drug paraphernalia. 2
Unlawful possession of a controlled substance. 2
Expired boat registration. 2
Total 56
48 illegal fish were siezed during the day's operation.”
[signature]
“Hi Tom. It appears that the UDWR is monitoring Strawberry much more closely this year than in recent years. For this I am most grateful. Any idea how you were able to find the resources to do this? Also, does the UDWR end up with the fines imposed for wildlife violations or do they go into the state funds? Also, is there a set amount that is assessed for each various violation, or is it totally up to the discretion of the judge?
As always thank you.
Kent”
Here is the response from one of Tom’s fellow UDWR state employees:
“Hi Kent,
As a result of complaints in past years and the new regulations at Strawberry we have shifted personnel from other areas. Last weekend, we had an administrative checkpoint which required most the officers from the central region of the state. Which meant there were no officers in Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah, Juab or Wasatch counties other than what was at the check point. One officer was left behind to cover emergencies. Our budgets continue to get reduced. The officer we had in Heber transferred to another district and we were not able to fill in behind her, in the past we relied heavily on that officer assisting at Strawberry. The region cooked the food for the officers at the roadblock to minimize expenses so the overall operation did not cost much in additional money, other than leaving a good part of the state without an officer. As far as the fine money goes it is a little more complicated. There is a uniform bail schedule, however, a judge may assess what ever they feel is justified once they have heard the facts of the case. A portion of the fine money does go back to the division, however, it does not come back specifically for law enforcement it goes in the wildlife resources restricted account. Courts take out a percentage, then there is a victim restitution assessment (we do not see that money) and then some justice courts send the division the balance and others don't. The Division has chose not to push this issue since many counties provide dispatch services and a county attorneys to prosecute our cases. I hope I answered your questions.”
In response to asking for more details I received the following:
“On June 22nd officers from the CRO conducted a compliance checkpoint at Strawberry Reservoir. Fishing had improved from two weeks prior. Anglers reported catching many fish over the weekend. Compliance with the slot limit regulation was poor. Anglers either claimed to be not aware of the regulation or were unable to distinguish between a rainbow and a cutthroat trout. Some of the fish seized by officers exibited markings that appeared to be a hybrid cross. Citations were issued for the following violations:
Unlawful taking of protected wildlife- over/under legal size limit. 36
Fishing without a valid license. 7
Unlawful method of fishing- more than one pole. 1
Open container of alcohol in a vehicle. 6
Possession of drug paraphernalia. 2
Unlawful possession of a controlled substance. 2
Expired boat registration. 2
Total 56
48 illegal fish were siezed during the day's operation.”
[signature]
that people are not educated enough to read a proclomation. I always have a proc in my vehicle and boat just in case. If I ever have a question on what is legal I put the fish back or do not take the game, I will always have a second chance to catch it again. 
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