Teh One Who Knocks
03-20-2014, 11:05 AM
By Alana Grimstad - KOAT-TV Channel 7
Some in Taos are livid after they say Forest Service Officers showed up to the Ski Valley wearing SWAT gear and began searching cars and handing out citations.
“I could not be more upset about this,” said former Gov. Gary Johnson, who is also a resident of Taos. “I could not be more upset. Somebody needs to lose their job.”
The act is called a Saturation Patrol, and it was performed recently at Taos Ski Valley by four National Forest Police officers and a drug-sniffing dog. The quartet began citing people for possessing marijuana, driving recklessly and having cracked windshields.
“This is a total waste of taxpayer dollars,” said Johnson. “We're U.S. taxpayers. We own the forest service. Why are we subject to this? Why? I want to know.”
According to the U.S. Forest Service, officers said they often see people driving dangerously in the Ski Valley area, speeding, drinking and using drugs. The saturation patrol was designed to catch those people breaking the law and putting others in danger.
The man in charge of the forest service says he takes the concerns very seriously, however, and is reviewing how his officers interacted with the public. Some believed the body and car searched violated rights.
“There’s a little bit of overreach, mission creep,” said Taos radio host Marcus Sanders. “It’s real. It’s happening.”
Forestry officials said they’re reviewing the incident and that they have no other patrols planned at Taos Ski Valley or any other ski resort. They said patrol had nothing to do with meeting “ticket quotas.”
Some in Taos are livid after they say Forest Service Officers showed up to the Ski Valley wearing SWAT gear and began searching cars and handing out citations.
“I could not be more upset about this,” said former Gov. Gary Johnson, who is also a resident of Taos. “I could not be more upset. Somebody needs to lose their job.”
The act is called a Saturation Patrol, and it was performed recently at Taos Ski Valley by four National Forest Police officers and a drug-sniffing dog. The quartet began citing people for possessing marijuana, driving recklessly and having cracked windshields.
“This is a total waste of taxpayer dollars,” said Johnson. “We're U.S. taxpayers. We own the forest service. Why are we subject to this? Why? I want to know.”
According to the U.S. Forest Service, officers said they often see people driving dangerously in the Ski Valley area, speeding, drinking and using drugs. The saturation patrol was designed to catch those people breaking the law and putting others in danger.
The man in charge of the forest service says he takes the concerns very seriously, however, and is reviewing how his officers interacted with the public. Some believed the body and car searched violated rights.
“There’s a little bit of overreach, mission creep,” said Taos radio host Marcus Sanders. “It’s real. It’s happening.”
Forestry officials said they’re reviewing the incident and that they have no other patrols planned at Taos Ski Valley or any other ski resort. They said patrol had nothing to do with meeting “ticket quotas.”