Harassment

[kayaman]

I have also had a similar problem here on the south shore..... I have been told that I cannot fish in several areas that I have always fished... there are no signs... after one night I left without arguing with the officer(he had an attitude while first inquiring what I was doing, this changed after I said I would leave) several nights later I went to town meeting and questioned the selectmen on this and was told I have every right to fish there..... last week back at the same place... had no luck and was just leaving when a police car pulls up and shines spotlight in my eyes and asks what I was doing.... I informed him that I had just cast a line out to test the waters... he let me go without further questioning but as I was driving down 3A I turned on my scanner in time to hear my plate being run.... now I grew up in this town and to have my plate run and be questioned on what I was doing in a public place is getting me pissed.... fisherman are just not wanted by all the "new" residence that think the town is so quaint and new englandish.... damn, I can't stand folks that have no clue as to the history of the area and think it is for their pleasure and theirs alone.....

[Redsoxticket]

The police were just doing there job. There was no lost, you were still able to fish. It is not like he prevented or halted your fishing. What if he ran someone's plate to find out that it was the car seen to have stolen fishing equipment from cars from Watch Hill to Newport. Now you would be saying, the cops are doing a good job.

[MotoXcowboy]

fishermen are allowed but no surfers? Thats messed up..

Surfers pay taxes too.

[Bill L]

The police were just doing there job.

I disagree with that. He was in a state owned public lot that is not closed to fishing at any time, yet he was questioned and hassled by the cops? Why don't they just sit in the grocery store parking lot and start asking people what they are doing, where they are going, and run their plates? Its an erosion of our rights.

As far as the surfers vs. fisherman, the land was bought by the state fish and wildlife specifically for fishing access,and is maintained as such. The time they were ticketing, red bull was holding a surf contest there (with no permision or permits), with people from all over double parked in the lot and up and down the street. You couldn't even get in the lot.

[RIROCKHOUND]

argh.. I remember that weekend... great surf and there had been fish there right before...
I think I walked in from the Ocean Mist anyways.. cant remember

[Bill L]

Thank God they dont surf a night!

As far as looking suspicious at 3am parked in a lot with rods on your rack, maybe elsewhere, but at a FISHING access lot, I dont think so.

[Redsoxticket]

The wanted criminal could be assumming the character of a fisherman at 3:00am in order to avoid being noticed that is to say being incognito.

[The Dad Fisherman]

We live in a different time now and EVERYBODY is a suspect. As long as you didn't do anything wrong there shouldn't be a problem running the plate. Just let them do ther job and chill out. Not for nothing but, Fishing rods on a rack or not, anybody sitting in a car in a parking lot at 3 AM looks suspicious. They're just doing their job.

If they don't run the plate and you turn out to be a 10 time DUI offender w/ a revoked license and you take out a school bus 1/2 hour later....then everybody wants to hang this cop out to dry because he could of had you before it ever happened.