Forest Service Police Powers?

[WyoJim]

Well... does Forest Service personnel have the power to arrest people and if they do how broad are these powers?

 

[illflem]

They can arrest, give tickets etc just like any other cop. This policy was instituted in the mid '80s

 

[Shovelhead]

Ok... . now 'fess-up... ... how fast were you going?

 

[TPCDrafting]

Were you BBQ'en in a place where you weren't supposed to be BBQ'en???

 

[me4osu]

Maybe he was roasting tires and emitting copious amounts of black smoke right in front of Yogi and his sidekick.

 

[WyoJim]

Truth is these Big Horn Mountains have those light green trucks running around like a bunch of pi$$ ants on an ant hill. And a good many of them have flashing light bars mounted on the roof.

I just want to get a better picture of how much of a police state this country is becoming.

 

[TPCDrafting]

Jim, Keep an eye on 'em up there, make sure one of "Smokey the Bear's Assistants" isn't out burnin up old boyfriend letters. If they're truly "good guys", then I don't mind so much having them around keeping the idiots from burning the place down.

 

[LSMITH]

The USFS has normal field personnel and then they have their law enforcement people, the ones with the lights on the vehicle. Watch out for the tree cops, I have had contact with a few in CO and they make a fresh state trooper look mild. They are serious. Seems to be more and more of them all the time too.

 

[Sasquash]

They get the same training as the FBI at FBI headquarters including weapons!

 

[Crazy Horse]

WyoJim- What makes it bad is that they are wanta-be cops who couldn't make it. Kinda like the rent-a-cops we have up here enforcing parking rules at the airport. I had one pull me over one day out by Lake Hood (big floatplane lake) in an old Toyota. I had a pipe bumper on it and if you looked at it the right way the bumper partially blocked the licence plate. When he asked for my drivers licence i asked him what was up??? He said he considered that plate issue to be a threat on his life:--) . Everyone has got a "Barney Fife".

 

[The patriot]

Originally posted by WyoJim



I just want to get a better picture of how much of a police state this country is becoming.

Youre talkin like you live in NJ. I drove 1000 miles, and the last 50 was in NJ. I saw more cops in that last 50 than in the previous 950.

Eric

 

[Bigsaint]

I worked with the State Rangers here in NJ when I first exited the Corps. While I wouldn't consider them wanna be's as they have already completed training through a regular police academy and have full police powers, I do recall that they have a tendancey to sweat the small stuff, probably because that's what they mostly deal with.



My wife and I had an encounter with a Barney F. when my oldest daughter was 1 YOA. We were biking in a local state park and had stopped to take a rest and give my daughter a drink. A State Ranger stopped by and proceeded to go up one side of me and down the other over the NJ helmet laws, as we had removed my daughters helmet when we stopped. He didn't know me and I didn't know him, but I made a promise to myself to remember his name and hunt him down like the dog he was, for causing such an undue imbarassment to my wife and myself. I didn't mention that I was a cop in the Twp. his park was located, just yes'd him to death and rolled my eyes at his unprofessionalism, not to mention his ignorance of the law. I never found him driving through my town, but I still know his name and I have a nice piece of cardboard with my signature waiting for him.



Scott W.

 

[Utah Willie]

As Illflem says, they have the power. What is unfortunate is that they usually have no other experience to calm their ardor and ease their "wannabe" attitude. I have seen a USFS "officer" site an owner of a trailered snowmobile... . in transit... . for being in the Forest without a current use sticker... . it was thrown out in court. I remember when I used to consider the "Smoky Bear" hat a symbol of friendlyness and information, not a beady eye on a radar looking for 2 MPH over the 45 MPH limit in a National Park.

 

[illflem]

Don't know of any others but Yosemite NP even has it's own jail run by the Park Service.