NY Fishermen: State Officers Violating The Constitution With Searches And Sales Of Seized Catch
State lawmakers and fishermen’s advocates are pushing legislation that would rein in the powers of search and seizure by state environmental enforcement officers. State Department of Environmental Conservation officers routinely cross geographic boundaries in their searches of fishermen’s boats, trucks and properties, charged Dan Rogers, an attorney who has represented several fishermen against DEC charges, and then competes economically against those fishermen in selling the seized fish for profits to pad state budgets. Mr. Rodgers said at a gathering of fishermen and officials at the home of brothers Danny and Paul Lester, commercial fishermen from Amagansett, on Thursday afternoon. “It’s legal under New York State law, but it’s not legal under the constitution.” Read the rest here 11:58
I have written about this for years with the NYS DEC acting literally “above the law” and making it a law enforcement agency practice to consistently violate the 4th Amendment as it concerns unreasonable stops and/or searches of person, vehicles and vessels without even reasonable suspicion.
Hold them personally accountable for their unlawful pattern of actions against working fishermen and the fishing public.