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RICHMOND
The Virginia Senate has decided that conservation police officers can continue to routinely check whether fishermen and hunters are properly licensed and whether they've exceeded creel or bag limits.
Republican Sen. Richard Stuart of Stafford County proposed repealing a law that allows the officers, formerly called game wardens, to stop and check sportsmen without probable cause that they've committed a crime. Stuart said conservation officers are the only law enforcement authorities who don't have to adhere to the 4th Amendment's prohibition against unreasonable search and seizure.
But opponents of the bill said protection of natural resources is a compelling state interest, and that checking licenses and limits is simply what conservation officers do. The Senate voted 25-15 to reject the bill.
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This Senator
got a ticket from a Conservation Police Officer and is trying to get even nothing more. He's scum who thinks he's above the law.
Bad luck?
A couple of years ago me and my two kids were "inspected" 3 times in a day by 3 different agencies. They should at least try to coordinate working separate sections of a lake or take some measures to avoid such nuisance behavior. Seems like they ought to give you a green sticker for the day or something after you pass the first one.
Game Wardens
I guess the VA Senate feels the Constitution is not as important as making sure everyonne pays for a fishing/hunting license.
Welcome to the former free state of Virginia.
Game Wardens
These so called Cops should not be so damn special. When the right person comes along. This SORRY State will get SUED for every last dime in the piggy bank baby. And by the way, Game Warden has more of a title than being called a conservation cop anyday of the week.
comments miss the mark
Y'all are missing the point. One, game wardens would have probable cause to have inspected this bird - the article says they were observing the blind and saw the failure to tag. Had the law passed requiring game wardens to (like every other officer does) have probable cause to make a stop, the result would nevertheless be the same.
The law was introduced because down here the police is putting game wardens on their boats. As game wardens don't have to have probable cause, they can essentially stop anyone. Bada bing, bada boom...the police are now on your boat without probable cause.
Boaters are getting tired of being constantly boarded for no reason...this law would have closed the loophole being exploited by the local constabulary.
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*police are
Google search, story needs to be verified.
Elected official fined by judge in hunting case
BY FRANK DELANO
RICHMOND--A federal magistrate judge yesterday fined Westmoreland County Supervisor W.W. Hynson Jr. $500 for possessing an untagged goose after a January hunt.
State Sen. Richard H. Stuart testified that his 11-year-old son shot the goose from a duck blind owned by Hynson at the mouth of Pee Dee Creek, a tributary of the Rappahannock River near Leedstown.
Stuart said he gave the bird to Hynson "because I didn't want to spend half a day plucking it and preparing it."
"I was a state prosecutor and I had no idea that you had to tag it," said Stuart, a former Westmoreland commonwealth's attorney.
Stuart also had no idea that state conservation officers had been watching the blind since
Link to the article:
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2009/112009/11132009/507531
Google search, story needs to be verified.
Elected official fined by judge in hunting case
BY FRANK DELANO
RICHMOND--A federal magistrate judge yesterday fined Westmoreland County Supervisor W.W. Hynson Jr. $500 for possessing an untagged goose after a January hunt.
State Sen. Richard H. Stuart testified that his 11-year-old son shot the goose from a duck blind owned by Hynson at the mouth of Pee Dee Creek, a tributary of the Rappahannock River near Leedstown.
Stuart said he gave the bird to Hynson "because I didn't want to spend half a day plucking it and preparing it."
"I was a state prosecutor and I had no idea that you had to tag it," said Stuart, a former Westmoreland commonwealth's attorney.
Stuart also had no idea that state conservation officers had been watching the blind since
Comment deleted
Comment removed for rules violation. Reason: Personal attack, name calling