Law Enforcement Voices

We believe reckless ORV riding is causing a growing problem of lawlessness across America, including ruining public lands, trespassing on private property, and vandalism.  People are getting fed up. Read what law enforcement officers across America are saying.

“Sooner or later, you can only warn people so much. Then you have to have some enforcement and make it a little painful for people to come up here (to ride)." -- Sergent Richard Wood, of the Kern County Sheriff’s Department Tehachapi substation "No more warnings for illegal off-roaders", The Bakersfield Californian (1/24/09)

“Their concern is the amount of illegal riding that’s out of control...They’re tearing up trails and damaging plant life. They have no regard for hikers." -- James X. DiCarlo, North Haven Police Chief, "Police to increase patrols for ATVs at Peter's Rock", New Haven Register (10/10/09)

"Chasing ATVs with conventional police vehicles or even police ATVs, as suggested, is simply a tragedy waiting to occur. While I understand the frustration of my officers and communities they serve, there is absolutely no life worth risking to chase an ATV." -- Charles H. Ramsey, Philadelphia Police Commissioner, "Letters: Chasing rouge ATVs is not a safe solution", Philadelphia Inquirer (10/20/09)

"I've heard a bunch of complaints...Way too many. Laws are made for everybody to abide by, not just a few, but everybody. People have to obey the laws." -- Robert Johns, candidate for Sheriff of Brantley, "Wild misuse of ATVs enters race for sheriff", Florida Times-Union (7/23/2008)

"It's not just the noise. It's the wanton disregard for riding those on private property. It's the reckless manner in which they're riding. And they're also using them as a mode of transportation to further criminal activity." -- Deputy Police Chief Mike Booker, "ATV attack leads aldermen to push stricter ATV laws", WREX-TV (10/19/09)

“This year is a larger figure because we’re out of funds from last year's grant,” said Ciolli, who added that most of last year’s grant money was spent on overtime. “We didn't have enough for an adequate amount of staff like in Dumont Dunes, where we have only two patrolmen.” -- Sergent Robbie Ciolli, Barstow Sheriff’s Station "Sheriff's new vehicles to patrol Lenwood for off-road riders", Desert Dispatch, (3/3/09)

"I enjoy hunting an am also an OSP game officer... I have heard all the excuses and wish the penalties were more severe for violators" -- Craig Johnson, "Speaking Up", Eastman's Hunting Journal (Feb.-Mar. '10)

“The last three to four years it’s gotten out of hand. It got out of control last year,” -- Sergent Dan Saunders, "Cops targeting bad behavior at Greenhorn Creek gathering", The Union (1/17/09)

"It's extremely difficult to enforce for a couple of reasons. One, is that we don't really have the vehicles to get into the remote places. The other thing is that at the time most of the criminal activity is going on out there we're busy with other calls." -- Pueblo Police Chief Jim Billings, "Honor Farm hard to police", The Pueblo Chieftain (2/7/09)

"They're just a constant nuisance. They're a drain on resources because we have to dispatch a car. Usually they take off." -- Lt. Bernie Somers, supervisor in Westville, "Police clamp down on ATVs, dirt bikes; vehicles may be seized", New Haven Register (8/2/08)

“Operating a motor vehicle on the National Forest carries a greater responsibility than driving in other areas. This is because the operator must know not only the applicable traffic laws, but they need to show a concern for the environment as well. Misuse of motor vehicles can lead to closures of routes and trails that are currently open." -- Forest Service Patrol Captain Gary Barnett, "Men get fines, probation for illegal off-roading", Tahoe Daily Tribune (3/5/10) 

"They drive fast, they run through stop signs, they run through yards." -- James Lewis, New Haven police Chief, "Police clamp down on ATVs, dirt bikes; vehicles may be seized", New Haven Register (8/2/08)

"This is an ongoing nuisance problem. They are trespassing and tearing up the land." -- New Smyrna Beach police Sgt. Eugene Griffin, "New Smyrna police crack down on off-road trespassers", East Volusia News-Journal (5/31/08)

"Some, but not all, ATV drivers demonstrate their lack of respect for someone else's property and our roads and bridges personnel often find themselves repairing damaged and eroding rights of way caused by inconsiderate ATV operators." -- Capt. Steve Morris, Columbia County Sheriff's Office, "Bumpy Ride is ahead for bill", The Augusta Chronicle (2/9/09)

"It's frustrating...We see reckless behavior and generally people know, 'Hey, I wouldn't be doing this if that guy with the gun on and in the green uniform was here. Congress needs to put their foot down and serve notice that when it comes to off-road vehicles, we're watching you. Do you think the American public as a whole wants to hear that we have all these areas that are trashed due to [off-road vehicles] because the Forest Service didn't do its job in a timely fashion or woke up late? They expected stewardship." -- Retired USFS Ranger Jack Gregory, "Ex-Forest Service cop fights off-road abuse", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (5/27/08)

"We've got eight officers -- that's almost a million acres we're covering...There's no way they can be everywhere at once." -- Stewart Delugach, Patrol Captain of the sprawling Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, "Unhappy Trails: Forests Beset by Rebel ATV Riders", The Washington Post (6/17/08)

"There just aren't enough hours in the day to deal with all of this...Those user-made trails are showing up all over the place. They lead to a lot of resource damage." -- Officer Mike Mumford, "Direct destructive recreation down a dead end", Lewiston Morning Tribune (6/16/08)

"It is difficult to apprehend them without the same type of (vehicle)...Unless someone is able to identify who it is on the vehicle, I can't arrest them...I have got to be able to identify the person." -- Amboy Police Sgt. Jeff Blake, "ATV riders given final warning in Amboy", Sauk Valley News-Gazette (5/20/08)

"We're seeing an increase in four wheeler calls and, basically, what we're wanting to do is educate the public. Are they subject to ticket? Yes, and if they do receive a ticket it is a mandatory 'see judge' and the fine amount would be decided by the court..If someone is pulling wheelies and driving it recklessly to where it's a hazard to the operator or the general public, then they're more than likely going to get a ticket." -- Eudora Police Chief Greg Dahlem, "Police see increase in ATV calls", Eudora News (6/5/08)

"We've had some problems on farms where they get out on somebody's land and run some of the crop." -- David Maddox, Marshall County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy, "Off-road fun, on-road danger: Misuse of ATVs can send riders to hospital or worse", The Paducah Sun (9/28/08)

"We continue to encounter problems with unlawful OHV use in Montana and really it's a problem in the entire West." -- Jim Kropp, law enforcement chief for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, "Stiff fines eyed for off-roading on closed lands", Associated Press, (3/19/09)

"They have been taking down fences and taking down signs. A lot of people don't know the rules and that is our responsibility to let them know, but a lot of people do know the rules. We have talked about it a lot — about how frustrating it is when we try to make it obvious to help people out by telling them with physical barriers and then have people destroy it the next weekend. Then the people who want to follow the rules don't know the rules." -- Tina Lanier, Belt District Ranger, "ATVs Scarring the Forest", Great Falls Tribune (10/2/08)

"There are the people who seem to want to use the ATVs and do it right and then there is the other percentage, maybe 30 to 40 percent, who don't care about rules or regulations and seem to think they have a right to do what they want. They ride on routes they are not supposed to be on or routes with seasonal restrictions or they just go across country, which has not been legal since about 2000." -- Ron Wiseman, Judith District Ranger, "ATVs Scarring the Forest", Great Falls Tribune  (10/2/08)

"With such great land masses and so few enforcement officers, it does not take a large group of individuals disobeying federal land and local laws to cause a problem. We have seen pristine areas disturbed by (off-highway vehicle) riders for the thrill of an exciting ride. It's a growing burden with a growing number of reckless drivers." -- Frank Adams, Executive Director of Nevada Sheriffs' and Chiefs' Association, Testifying before United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (6/5/08)

"There was an outcry for us to do something...Farmers were having problems with them tearing up their crops." -- Jack Blizzard, Cumberland County Trooper, "Port Republic cranks up penalties on illegal ATV riders", Press of Atlantic City (8/13/08)

"The police do receive (off-highway vehicle) complaints on a regular basis throughout the township, and it's a challenge enforcing the relative laws' because the OHVs can get around easily on the terrain but police can not. We are not equipped with an equivalent mode of transportation, making it difficult and dangerous to pursue violators." -- Lt. Patrick Shaffery, Press of Atlantic City (6/24/08)

"We're not at war with ATV riders, but we are at war with illegal ATV riders. There's a difference." -- Kevin DiPatri, Port Norris station commander, Press of Atlantic City (6/16/08)

"We get calls about ATVs all over the village. Usually by the time someone calls us and a car gets there, the ATVs are long gone...It's a problem in our community. We enforce it as much as we can with the tools we've got." -- Eric Proulx, Tupper Lake police Sargent, "Illegal ATV, snowmobile use a problem in Tupper", Adirondack Daily Enterprise (11/19/08)

"We have a problem with someone putting two-by-fours with sharp steel spikes on them, then placing them in the dirt and sand where ATVs travel...They don't realize the danger." -- Mike Stoltz, sheriff's deputy of Burleigh County, "Officials investigate 'spiked' trail", Bismarck Tribune (10/20/07)

"We have a lot of problems with people cutting our fences. ATVs on the levees destroy our levee embankments. It causes significant erosion." -- Jeff Keller, a federal park ranger and manager of the Williston office of the Army Corps of Engineers, "Northwestern North Dakota parks hit by vandalism", Associated Press (5/12/07)

"There's been a multitude (of incidents). I don't doubt, with the onset of warm weather and everything else, that it's only going to get worse." -- Donald Hess, Police Chief, "Blairsville police target illegal ATV disturbances", Indiana Gazette (3/27/09)

"We are talking about a minority of ATV owners. But that minority is causing such a big problem that it is being brought up month after month at council meetings." -- Mike Conway, Tremont Police Chief, "Rules of the road", Republican & Herald (8/16/08)

"Residents of the area have been discovering boards with nails buried into the ground to flatten tires. They also discovered fishing line with treble hooks attached hanging from tree limbs." -- Seth Mesoras, PA Wildlife Conservation Officer, "ATV situation intolerable", The Tribune-Democrat (8/9/08)

"It's been a big problem for us for many years now...I've been to scenes where bodies have been decapitated because they were riding on someone else's property and didn't know the layout or boundaries, didn't know the fenceline and ran up under a steel cable." -- Captain Allen Brandon, York County Sheriff's Office, "Landowners push ATV law",  The Herald (9/8/08)

"Most wouldn't ride in the preserve, but it only takes a small fraction to cause damage. Their impact on the land is heavy." -- Mark Peapenburg, Chief Ranger of the Big Thicket Natural Preserve, "Slamming the breaks on ATVs", Houston Chronicle (8/30/08)

"While I want to acknowledge that there are many responsible ATV users who stay on the trails and ride legally, and then volunteer many hours repairing trails, another part of the reality is the illegal motorized use in the forest. The last couple of years, the illegal use has accelerated in inventory, enforcement and closure of illegal trails. I am horrified at the number of illegal trails being created." -- Mesia Nyman, District Ranger of the United States Forest Service, "Forest damage due to ATVs offroading", Emergy County Progress (8/19/08)

"Last year in the Woodford area, forest lands became an off-road vehicle playground...and thousands of public dollars went into reseeding it, planting it and laying boulders to prevent people from accessing it on illegal vehicles." -- Alex Sienkiewicz, USFS District Ranger, "Off-roaders ravage national forest sites", Bennington Banner (5/30/08)

"Hunters, hikers and citizens of Giles County are quite upset about the high level of abuse that is occurring on public land." -- Teddy Millins, Forest Service Officer with George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, "Forest ATV riders charged: Twelve accused of riding in national forest in Giles County", Richmond Times-Dispatch (1/11/07)

"As the population grows, we’re going to see increases in the call volume up there. Looking to the future, it’s an issue that’s not going to go away." -- Scott Koehler, chief of East County Fire and Rescue, "Off-road vehicle stretch emergency crews", The Columbian (10/6/08)

"ATV's, dirt bikes, Jeeps...go right into the creek. It's a big problem. Our goal is to preserve the park as well as the natural preserve." -- Doug Doss, Richland Police Officer, "Police, residents keeping an eye on Amon Creek", Tri-City Herald (7/27/08)

"There just aren't enough hours in the day to deal with all of this,' [Mumford] said at 7:30 p.m. after writing his last citations of the long day to a couple riding an ATV. The vehicle was not registered and neither rider was wearing the required helmet." -- Mike Mumford, Colville National Forest law enforcement officer, "Over-riding issues", The Spokesman Review (6/8/08)

"This is causing more damage to the landscape, hunter conflict, and eroding the experience of non-ATV users. In the coming seasons, efforts will be made to increase enforcement, use the media to emphasize the ATV regulations prior to deer season and perhaps include certain ATV laws in the deer hunting regulation pamphlet." -- Randy Stark, Chief Warden, "Hunters put forth less effort, DNR says", Green Bay Press-Gazette (12/13/07)

"The last thing we need is for a pedestrian to be struck, injured or killed by a snowmobile or ATV on our recreation trail." -- Mike Matoushek, Dodge County Sheriff's Department recreation enforcement officer, "Dodge County authorities issue warnings to ATV, snowmobile trail users", The Reporter (1/30/08)

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