Bismarck, North Dakota News

" Maybe the Mandan Law could take a few hours off of their busy route around the Mandan bars and share some of their great service to the river side of things! "

" I'm not putting a price on a life or injury. And yes, you did say you expect local law enforcement to be in charge of the extra patrolling, along with extra equipment and special training. Now rememer, I already said I think that finding a solution to the problem is great. I'm simply adding to the discussion that extra patrol -- when adding staff members is not a viable solution -- means that existing officers are asked to volunteer put in overtime. This exact scenario already happens. Lives have already been lost on the river, including this very summer, and I doubt that you're the only one wishing or planning for a solution. "

" Reader! Wow what a great idea, bikes, horses and motorcycles. I have an even better idea why not use our flying brooms to catch the bad Lord Voltemort types abusing river users. Perhaps we could even get some pupils from Hogwarts to volunteer (that would not cost anything). It would be great fun to swoop down on the evildoers. "

" Have law enforcement along both sides of the shores. The can be on bikes, horse back or motorcycle. "

" Impractical! Yes it would be costly and I am expecting that you and I and the rest of the Bismarck-Mandan citizenry would pay for it. What price do you put on an injury or life? No I dont expect the sheriffs office or police department to pick up the slack, or put in overtime, take them away from the families, or volunteer. I would expect officers to be hired to do just river patrol in the summer and then street patrol in the winter. We can always use more law enforcement personnel. Will it take a major loss of life on the river to make my proposal happen and can you put a price on an injury or life? Will it take a major altercation on a sandbar to make it happen? We have a waterway highway or street that divides our communities, to allow what is happening now is just irresponsible. The weekend is upon us and the weather sounds great and it is one of the last weekends of the season. Lets hope all you family boaters have good luck with a safe and sane weekend, although luck has nothing to do with the problem. "

" P.S. Does anyone have info on how other states/counties with high river participation handle the extra law enforcement? Perhaps we can take a cue from a program that already works. "

" Um, yeah, "it is expensive" is oversimplifying the situation. If you're expecting the local sheriff's departments to pick up the slack on this new river law enforcement plan, you're either asking current officers to put in a ton of required overtime -- which they already do for seatbelt enforcement, Desert saturation patrol, etc. -- taking them away from their non-work-related lives and families for the entire summer or longer. Who would volunteer for that? Deputies earn their vacation hours as much as anyone else. The other option would be hiring officers just for those summer months, which is extremely impractical, as what would they do once winter hits? Be out of a job? Not to mention, if either solution "worked", getting the commission to approve such an enormous budget increase would be difficult. I'm totally with all of you on cleaning up the river, but the proposed ideas are far easier said than done. "

" I will write about it again. I think we need a permanent summertime law enforcement presence on the river. Yes, it will be expensive. Forget about the Game and Fish Department, this presence, on the river, needs to part of Mandan and Bismarcks police or sheriffs departments or a combination there of. The officers will need to be trained in marine law. Their boats will need to be clearly marked, have radios, sirens, and red flashing lights, and contain everything the typical squad car contains. Two boats equipped with two officers on each boat sounds like the right formula. These law enforcement personnel can enforce the nautical rules of the road and perform boat inspections to see if proper life preservers are on board, navigation lights are working; a proper fire extinguisher is onboard etc. What if a boater or sandbar user is injured, gets sick or is involved in a serious altercation with another boater or sandbar user? Currently there is no way ambulance or law enforcement personnel can reliably and quickly get to the site of the accident or altercation. Currently, the river is becoming a lawless no mans land, a place, especially on a weekend, where nonsense, stupidity and high speed rein supreme and accidents or other problems are just waiting to happen. "

" In response "to B Beach":

This "die hard old landowner" politely invites you to witness for yourself if you are in doubt, as we are the "exception". You have my number. "

" part of the problem is that the die hard old landowners believe the river is their sole domain. (the "TRUE river rats"as you put it) Yes there are lots of new people on the river, and you no longer have exclusive control. Get used to it, it is only going to increase. Also, I'm starting to doubt your letter... I'm on the river every weekend, I can't think of a single spot where people pull up their boat next to a cabin. People are on the sandbars because of the beach. With a rare exception, established properties on the river do not have beachfront for a reason. (erosion) "

" I was born and raised a River Rat and my family has owned property on the river for close to 50 years.

As property owners and boaters, the things that I and my family have witnessed in the last 10 years is nothing short of unbelievable. Boaters with no concept of wake laws or general safety, children as young as 10 and under being allowed to operate wave-runners without an adult, FISHERMAN (whom should know better), barreling past kayakers at unheard of speeds, drunk high school kids floating the river at night in a $20 raft with no life jackets or survival gear, and the list could go on.

As landowners, the blatant lack of respect for private property never ceases to amaze me. Almost every weekend we have groups of boaters that park right next to our cabin and let their dogs run loose which causes us to have to tie ours up. They play their music at ridiculous volumes. They trespass through our manicured property to relieve themselves, and then, if thats not enough they stick around and make themselves dinner. Obviously our private property signs and glaring stares all day long must make them feel welcome.

I do not in any way want to restrict anyone's right to have a good time on our beautiful river, but safety, responsibility, respect and common sense NEEDS to be addressed.

It is time for all TRUE River Rats to organize to help solve these problems. It has become obvious that the problems have grown too big for Game and Fish and the local authorities to handle. Anyone SINCERELY interested please contact me at 701-426-2750.

After reading the lengthy posts in response to Mr. McQuade's letter to the editor a month ago, I would expect my phone to ring off the hook. But sadly, as I am sure Mr. McQuade found out, people's concern subsides when they realize may have to play an active role in the solution. "

" Considering the # of users on the river, and not a single serious injury, the river ranks far safer than driving on Expressway or any busy street in Bismarck/Mandan. Seriously, if you spend any time on the river it is hard to NOT see law enforcement. Personally I am more worried about someone running into my boat when it is behind my vehicle driving TO the river than actually a boating accident while out on the river. (You think BisMan drivers are bad?, try pulling a trailer!) "

" Have you even been on the river ? Do you actually even own a boat ? They are all over the place sometime as many as 3 or more of them between sheirfs and game and fish in the small stretch that goes between fox island and the northern plant area. I mean lets face it these are the only area's most boaters ever use and you cant go more then 30 mins with out seeing a boat patrol. Theirs nothing wrong with this but the accidents are a result of inexperienced boaters, not a lack of control. When you let every tom dick and harry play captin accidents are going to happen if you want to less'n these accidents then invoke a boating license reguardless of age the enforcement has little to do with this. "