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Can-Am Headquarters ...Aurora Wheelers ATV Forum > Rides | ATV News and Events > ATV | OHV News > Duluth police get ATVs to patrol trails |
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killswitch_1 Admin 
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Duluth News Tribune Article Link: Duluth police get ATVs to patrol trails Mark Stodghill Duluth News Tribune Published Thursday, May 31, 2007 Duluth police have some good news for hikers and environmentalists and bad news for people who illegally ride motorized dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles on city trails. Police have acquired three all-terrain vehicles to patrol the city trails. “Trail users and people who live near trails have been complaining for years about damage to trails and about the noise,” Duluth Police Chief Gordon Ramsay said. “Those four-wheelers rip up trails that are used for hiking and jogging. They also change the whole dynamics of the trail, creating new water routes and essentially the trail becomes unusable to walk on. So we’re going to be focused on areas where there’s been the most damage.” The ATVs were obtained through a cooperative effort by Mayor Herb Bergson, Duluth police, Yamaha Corp. and RJ’s Sport and Cycle in Hermantown. About $10,000 in city money was used to buy two of the ATVs and a trailer to transport them. Police supervisors credited Western Duluth community officer Jim Rodman with taking the lead in trying to do something to protect the city trails. “He really did a fantastic job in working with this,” police Lt. Kerry Kolodge said. “He came to me a while ago and said there was a need for additional ATVs because of the complaints of trail damage by people driving motorized vehicles on trails. And Mayor Bergson, his personal friend, agreed to work with him.” Rodman said RJ’s Sport and Cycle donated a $12,000 ATV as part of a law enforcement program it participates in with Yamaha. Rodman said the city Parks and Recreation Department, the city forester and a trail watch dog group are working to improve the trails and report people who are not respecting the land. “The public can expect that there’s going to be an enforcement effort by the Police Department to cut down on illegal motorized use on the city trails and in the parks,” Rodman said. “They can expect citations to be written if illegal activity is found.” Under state law, anyone who attempts to flee police while driving an ATV can have it forfeited to police. “Most four-wheelers are out there to recreate and enjoy the outdoors,” Ramsay said. “But there’s a percentage that tears everything up, and they’re the ones that ruin for everybody else. That’s why we have barking dog laws. Some people aren’t neighborly. They don’t treat things with respect.” The all-terrain vehicles also will be used at special events; for routine patrol of areas such as Canal Park, Park Point and the Lakewalk; and to search for missing persons and to reach remote crime scenes. MARK STODGHILL covers public safety and courts. He can be reached weekdays at (218) 723-5333 or by e-mail at mstodghill@duluthnews.com.
____________________ If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man. - Mark Twain |
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