Albemarle Police Spotlight Spotlighters

Somebody has to thin the deer population! The Game Commission is not doing a very good job. Everyday you see deer on the roads run over and hit by cars and trucks. I bet the Insurance people would like to stop carnage and claims also!

Doesn't the Sheriffs Dept deliver court papers and take bad guys to court? Home by suppertime.

thinking free wrote:

Doesn't the Sheriffs Dept deliver court papers and take bad guys to court? Home by suppertime.

My two cents worth from a nearby viewpoint. They are the civil department in their county, yes; court security, civil process, prisoner transportation - but they also have an annual budget (I think it is a grant) to support game enforcement so they get to go out and check hunters and write tickets. The RoboDeer thing is not new at all, they have done it for a number of years. Most of the officers who get to do this are certified and more or less experienced - but they also have auxiliary ridealongs who may or may not be fully qualified. I have a relative who was challenged on his land four times in the past three years by an Albemarle County auxiliary deputy - the car came down his private road and out into his field to check his hunting license. I'm not going to argue that they CAN''T do this - they observed him out there with his blaze orange and went to "investigate" but I can tell you that this sort of intrusive law enforcement by a marginally-trained officer will get them slapped with a civil rights suit in a hurry if they screw up with the wrong person. Most of their auxiliaries are only partially qualified and none of them as far as i know (if any of you are reading prove me wrong) are actually patrol-experienced. Their career officers know what they are doing for the most part in my opinion. As for the robo-deer thing, I personally think this is a bad idea because it encourages people to shoot from their vehicle. now, those people are breaking the law and deserve a ticket, but I really hope that they put Mr RoboDeer in a safe place this year.

Honestly is this the best use of limited resources in any PD? How about they purchase a robo drug dealer and get drugs out of the community or at least thin them out, or how about checking illegals for their papers! I'm not in favor of asshole folks with guns and bows who call themselves hunters by doing this, but really, it this the worst of our problems in Albemarle County! I DON'T THINK SO!!!!

Concerned parent wrote:

Honestly is this the best use of limited resources in any PD? How about they purchase a robo drug dealer and get drugs out of the community or at least thin them out, or how about checking illegals for their papers! I'm not in favor of **** folks with guns and bows who call themselves hunters by doing this, but really, it this the worst of our problems in Albemarle County! I DON'T THINK SO!!!!

I agree wholeheartedly.

I'm actualyl glad to see some action taking place. For the past month or two now the early mornings and late nights where I live have echoed with the sounds of rifle fire and the baying of massive packs of hounds.

Angry_Dad wrote:

I'm actualyl glad to see some action taking place. For the past month or two now the early mornings and late nights where I live have echoed with the sounds of rifle fire and the baying of massive packs of hounds.

And I'm sure you would be the first to bitch when you hit a deer with your car or a deer eats your prize begonias.

Angry_Dad wrote:

I'm actualyl glad to see some action taking place. For the past month or two now the early mornings and late nights where I live have echoed with the sounds of rifle fire and the baying of massive packs of hounds.

Action? This is normal procedure. Nothing new is taking place, it's just being reported this year for some reason.

Im Ya Huckleberry wrote:

<quoted text> And I'm sure you would be the first to **** when you hit a deer with your car or a deer eats your prize begonias.

Sorry. I pay attention to the speed limits and keep my eyes open when driving. We also don't grow any flowers.

Facts, spotlighting is illegal

Deer are over populating

Solution: Extend Hunting Season 3 Weeks this year and increase the bag limit to 20 deers with each extra deer tag costing 5 bucks.

Angry_Dad wrote:

I'm actualyl glad to see some action taking place. For the past month or two now the early mornings and late nights where I live have echoed with the sounds of rifle fire and the baying of massive packs of hounds.

How many hounds are a massive pack?
A pack of angry dads are called a troop.

Angry_Dad wrote:

I'm actualyl glad to see some action taking place. For the past month or two now the early mornings and late nights where I live have echoed with the sounds of rifle fire and the baying of massive packs of hounds.

Hunting with dogs needs to be addressed as well. The SPCA is full of hounds that irresponsible hunters leave behind. I've seen 3 on the side of interstate 64 too.

Nothing like being productive with an oversized video game for the big boys. Please do something worthwhile and focus on the drugs and people running around without legal rights to be here.

I think this is a good thing, but I do take exception to calling the people that commit these types of reckless and dangerous actions, Hunters. True hunters are ethical law abiding citizens. To place them into the same category as these bozo’s who get drunk and ride around at night and spotlight deer is like calling any criminal out there that commits a felony with a gun a hunter.

For the True Hunter wrote:

I think this is a good thing, but I do take exception to calling the people that commit these types of reckless and dangerous actions, Hunters. True hunters are ethical law abiding citizens. To place them into the same category as these bozo’s who get drunk and ride around at night and spotlight deer is like calling any criminal out there that commits a felony with a gun a hunter.

I agree with you; road hunting is not "hunting" - it is multiple criminal acts. I also know that the vast majority of all the hunters that get checked each year are found to be fully in compliance with the law.

I'd like anyone to explain exactly what the article meant where the deputy said "We've made a lot of felony arrests of DUIs. What's really concerning is that we're out here late at night with firearms, driving drunk," says Martin." I know the code pretty good and while I know there are a whole lot of misdemeanors you can get charged with for road hunting, there aren't many felonies. Or any that I can find for shooting a decoy deer from the road, drunk or otherwise - unless you happen to wound or kill someone of course. Did he mean felonies for people with multiple DUIs? Maybe so, but I don't know, help me out here folks.

Deer that eat "prize begonias" must be a gourmet breed. The deer around my place eat daylilies and rather common daylilies at that.

Angry_Dad wrote:

<quoted text>
Sorry. I pay attention to the speed limits and keep my eyes open when driving. We also don't grow any flowers.

That's an idiotic response! Speed and keeping your eyes open will not stop a deer from bolting into your car. There are too many deer because of stupid laws that restrict hunters in thinning the population. Spotlight hunters should be given medals instead of harrassed.

For the True Hunter has it right. The slobs that hunt from vehicles are literally a danger to anyone within a mile of them, and they should be charged with reckless endangerment, at the least. Same goes for the slobs who trespass on posted land. It is indeed the responsibility of the police to deal with this clear and present danger, because if I have to deal with an armed belligerent drunk endangering my family - let's just say the phrase "terminate with extreme prejudice" comes to mind.

rod wrote:

Deer that eat "prize begonias" must be a gourmet breed. The deer around my place eat daylilies and rather common daylilies at that.

Yes they are a gourmet breed, specially bred for this very purpose. It all a secret government program designed to annoy those who plant begonias.