Inslee Seeks to Increase Salmon Enforcement & Natural Resource Prosecution

[bigtex]

Inslee announced his supplemental budget request for 2022 this week. His budget for WDFW includes:

-Funding for three new WDFW Officer positions focused on salmon fisheries enforcement.
-Funding one new WDFW Law Enforcement Captain position to serve as a liaison with NOAA/NMFS, tribes, and bordering states on fisheries enforcement issues
-Providing funding to WDFW who will in-turn provide the funding to the WA Attorney General's Office for funding the equivalent of 2.5 Assistant Attorney Generals to prosecute cases natural resource cases which are declined by county prosecutors.

The prosecutor funding is an interesting one. Under the state Fish & Wildlife Code if a county prosecutor fails to charge someone with a fish and wildlife offense WDFW can then ask the WA AG to file charges. Now typically this is done in rare cases. However, in the budget request the funding will be used by the "Attorney General’s Office to prosecute hundreds of environmental crimes turned away by county prosecutors each year due to lack of resources." Personally, I think this is a great move and should be supported by anyone who wants to see fish and wildlife violators actually penalized.

As for the funding for this, all three funding proposals are funded by the General Fund (taxes) and not WDFW license dollars.

[timberfaller]

Can't trust anything King Inslee is behind!!   He should have been recalled!

[KFhunter]

Thanks BT 

Prolly use that prosecution money to hook up wolf poaching too

[Moose Master]

Glad to see more funding.

[huntnphool]

 Yes, yes!  By all means, let’s defund LEO’s and forgo prosecuting drug offenses, or thieves walking right out of retail outlets with carts full of goods etc...and concentrate efforts on fishing violations!

[Bareback]

Yes, yes!  By all means, let’s defund LEO’s and forgo prosecuting drug offenses, or thieves walking right out of retail outlets with carts full of goods etc...and concentrate efforts on fishing violations!

Haven’t you noticed…….. they only pursue/prosecute those that can pay. It’s government economics/ Return On Investment.

[huntnphool]

Yes, yes!  By all means, let’s defund LEO’s and forgo prosecuting drug offenses, or thieves walking right out of retail outlets with carts full of goods etc...and concentrate efforts on fishing violations!

Haven’t you noticed…….. they only pursue/prosecute those that can pay. It’s government economics/ Return On Investment.

 Touche’

[Duckslayer89]

Try to bust the guys fishing while let the people breaking their windows out walk free

[Wphunt]

Inslee announced his supplemental budget request for 2022 this week. His budget for WDFW includes:

-Funding for three new WDFW Officer positions focused on salmon fisheries enforcement.
-Funding one new WDFW Law Enforcement Captain position to serve as a liaison with NOAA/NMFS, tribes, and bordering states on fisheries enforcement issues
-Providing funding to WDFW who will in-turn provide the funding to the WA Attorney General's Office for funding the equivalent of 2.5 Assistant Attorney Generals to prosecute cases natural resource cases which are declined by county prosecutors.

The prosecutor funding is an interesting one. Under the state Fish & Wildlife Code if a county prosecutor fails to charge someone with a fish and wildlife offense WDFW can then ask the WA AG to file charges. Now typically this is done in rare cases. However, in the budget request the funding will be used by the "Attorney General’s Office to prosecute hundreds of environmental crimes turned away by county prosecutors each year due to lack of resources." Personally, I think this is a great move and should be supported by anyone who wants to see fish and wildlife violators actually penalized.

As for the funding for this, all three funding proposals are funded by the General Fund (taxes) and not WDFW license dollars.

Wdfw law enforcement is pitifully low. I’m glad there will be a few more badges out there. I lived in Colorado and Idaho before Washington and got checked multiple times per year in both places. In Washington it’s like they don’t exist.

[WapitiTalk1]

Dimslee is my hero, a superhero….championing the poor and downtrodden. What a guy. 

[hunter399]

I don't mind seeing more boots on the ground.
But if a prosecuter won't pick up a case ,it usually has something to due with lack of evidence.
I'm not a fan of Bob Ferguson our AG trying to push crappy gun laws every year.
I think it's a waste of tax payer money ,like normal.
To try and pick up wildlife cases that prosecuter has trashed.
I would rather see them get a few more wardens then give the AG any funding. Take the AG money and give it to enforcement also.

[snake]

yes more officers to make sure your barbs are pinched and you have enough life jackets on board. definitely needed. not...

[bigtex]

But if a prosecuter won't pick up a case ,it usually has something to due with lack of evidence.

Not entirely true. There's counties, especially the more populated ones, who will hardly prosecute any fish and wildlife cases simply because they don't have the staffing. Many counties don't even have enough prosecutors to prosecute "people vs people" crime as it is.

When officers submit cases to a prosecutors office and the case is rejected the prosecutor will explain why they won't prosecute. Lack of prosecutorial resources is often the most cited reason.

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[Duckslayer89]

yes more officers to make sure your barbs are pinched and you have enough life jackets on board. definitely needed. not...

 

Exactly. More policing for the guys following the rules already.

[Broomd]

F*** Inslee and the Marxist horse he rode in on....POS.