Who ya gonna call

[IndyEFI500]

I was out fishing on a lake that I go to once a year wirh the family on vacation last week. There are a couple of channels between points that are marked for no wake areas. Last week was the worst I have ever seen for people just blasting right through the no wake area at mach III or whatever their ride could muster. Since I like to fish for sunnie's and bass on the edge of one of the areas, we got rocked pretty good. My 9 year old who is Mr. Obey the Law, wanted me to call someone about it but I wasn't sure if I should call a sherriff department or the DNR. Anyone got any input.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I would call the sherriff on that one.. I think that falls under their laws, not dnr?.. I could be wrong.

[toughguy]

[Kyle Sandberg]

"MYTHBUSTERS"

I'd call the sheriffs depo. They can get to the lake quicker and also call the DNR if needed.

[heartattack22]

Give the Sheriffs dept a call. Its usually their jurisdiction.

[Powerstroke]

911 is the catch all. Since you're out in the boat you're gonna get directed to a local dispatcher or if that area doesn't have enhanced 911 your cell phone will always reach the state patrol. Either way someone should get you to a local law enforcement agency.

Number 1 answer is to call 911.

[sparcebag]

I'll bet if ya call 911 and they answer with whats your emergency? ya tell them poaching they'll refer to another agency,they may not, but my experience is they will.

[papabear]

Im not sure calling anyone will do any good. By the time someone can respond the guy is gone or says he didnt do anything wrong so it is word vs word. But it may lead to more parolling of area if it gets to be an epedemic.

[Powerstroke]

We're not talking about poaching, we're talking about a watercraft violation. If it was poaching and you think they can get caught where they are you still call 911. If its not terribly time-sensitive then you can call the TIP line.

Unless you know the number for the couty sheriffs office, you are always best off calling 911. Making a complaint is still important. If they get enough complaints then they are somewhat obligated to investigate. If that doesn't get things moving try bringing it up at a council meeting or board meeting for the area. You can also write your are rep, county person or whatever. Doing something is always better than doing nothing.

[IndyEFI500]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't have my phone with at the time since I was on vacation and didn't want customers calling all the time. I had thought about 911 but didn't see that it was an emergency. I mentioned it to the marina at the resort since I am sure the pontoons that roared through were their rentals. The 15 year old behind the desk pretty much gave me the glassy eyed sure whatever look. Next year I'll take my phone with instead of in the cabin and grab the sheriff's number as well.

[SDbowhunter]

My ex girlfriends parents used to own a resort. Everytime a jet ski or a boat buzzed thier dock they would call the sheriff. They would even write down vehicles #'s if possible. They came out just about everytime they called. Theres nothing i hate more then jet skis or boats buzzing me while im fishing. Let alone 20 feet from swimmers.

[Dave]

A CO once told us, "get the number off the side of the boat and I'd have no problem sending them a ticket. They can explain themselves in court if they want to."

[opsirc]

A picture is worth a thousand words; bring a camera and snap a few photos, show them to the sheriff or CO when they come out. use a digital one so you do not have to pay for processing iof photos.

O

[sparcebag]

Ya Power didn't read well! but wreckless boating,poaching,BWI,There all nonemergency, is all I'm saying. 911 isn't for everyday complaints,and I believe a ticket can be Issued for excessive use of emergency contacts! while your tying up the line someone may really need help!

[folke2000]

Call 911. No, 911 is not just for emergencys for most law enforcement agencies, it is a point of contact. If you know the non-emergency number great, but if you don't 911 is still the go to number.

[archer59]

I have the local sheriff, DNR, State Patrol, and TIP all programed in my cell for the cabin area I. Only had to call the Sheriff once for a jet ski buzzing us on purpose. I know it was on purpose because he did it 6 times, and was also caught by the Sheriff ... running after dark. ( (Contact Us Please) )

Some peoples kids... although this guy was in his thirties.

Nick

[papabear]

Cool that they are able to do that. I guess i was wrong in my earlier post about not being able to catch them.

[Powerstroke]

Quote:

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Ya Power didn't read well! but wreckless boating,poaching,BWI,There all nonemergency, is all I'm saying. 911 isn't for everyday complaints,and I believe a ticket can be Issued for excessive use of emergency contacts! while your tying up the line someone may really need help!

---

I'm sorry to hear that you think poaching and BWI are not emergencies. Both are against the law and should be reported.

If someone was speeding down my street or drinking and driving on the highway I would call 911.

Yes, nuisance complaints are a problem....but reports of real violations is not illegal.

I am a firefighter and a law enforcement student. I hope to be a CO someday. I get firsthand experience with nuisance calls weekly, but we have an obligation to respond to every call. It is important to decide the "emergency" nature of the call, but if you are in danger or you witness something that is hazardous then it should be reported.

[sparcebag]

Powerstroke when I lived in the city had a neighbor that beat his wife, she'd come to my house call 911! It happened 6-8 times over 2 yrs,One night I had a hit & run on my truck. I called 911! Took 2 hours to respond I started questioning WHY!Well my phone & add.were considered nuisance calls.So other callers were responded to first,I was told then, NOT to use 911 only for emergency and that their policy was responding to 911 calls if not actual emergency was loged as so,and handled accordingly. So I now will NOT call police,Sheriff or any authority unless its MY emergency

[Fishin4Life]

Quote:

---

Powerstroke when I lived in the city had a neighbor that beat his wife, she'd come to my house call 911! It happened 6-8 times over 2 yrs,One night I had a hit & run on my truck. I called 911! Took 2 hours to respond I started questioning WHY!Well my phone & add.were considered nuisance calls.So other callers were responded to first,I was told then, NOT to use 911 only for emergency and that their policy was responding to 911 calls if not actual emergency was loged as so,and handled accordingly.

So I now will NOT call police,Sheriff or any authority unless its MY emergency

---

That seems pretty sad that a women who is getting beaten by her husband is a nuisance call and not an emergency. Seems a little goofy to me...

I found a stray cat the other day, guess who the humane society instructed me to call, 911, that is definitely not an emergency but they were happy to take my call. They put me on hold a few times to answer other calls which was fine. They have plenty of lines and I am sure your quick complaint will not hinder someone with a "real" emergency from getting through.

Just my two cents

[Powerstroke]

sparce, I am sorry to hear about your personal experience. No system is perfect, but it does not reflect on the emergency services as a whole. I've heard you share that story before and it still shocks me, but you did the right thing, no matter what anyone says. There are stories all the time of rude or improper dispatchers, police, Fire etc. These are not the norm or they wouldn't make the news.

In general, the best answer is to call 911. Its universal. If your concern has been misplaced they will let you know and hopefully direct you to the proper channel, but hopefully it is an emergency and it will be dealt with promptly.

[The Freak]

Sparcebag, what city was that?

[ChemMechanicInc]

When I lived in Circle Pines, my truck got broken into and some stuff was stolen.

I called 911.

When the city police arrived, they told me to call 911 if I ever saw anything suspicious, especially at night.

He said his night beat got pretty bored...Weird.

[sparcebag]

St.Paul 1997-98?? one of the reasons I moved out of the city!