Behind the Badge - Summer Patrol
Summer Patrol
District Game Warden Dominic Falch
Game wardens spend a lot of the summer patrolling waterways by boat. It’s often a way to catch violations that we would not see through other methods of patrol.
I’m fortunate that I get to patrol the Little Missouri Arm of Lake Sakakawea because, in my opinion, it’s one of the most beautiful areas to go for a boat ride. And it’s there that you’ll find both anglers and people out recreating and enjoying the summer weather.
One thing game wardens often look for while on patrol is safety issues. And I get it that sometimes it may feel like we are being the “fun police” but at the end of the day, we just want to make sure you and your loved ones make it home safe.
One day around the Fourth of July, warden Biberdorf and I were on patrol on the Little Missouri Arm when we passed a boat going in the opposite direction at roughly full speed.
As we passed the boat, warden Biberdorf and I looked at each other in shock. What we saw was a young kid no older than 10 sitting on the bow of the boat dangling his feet off the front.
I turned around and as quick as I could, caught up to the boat and stopped.
As the operator stopped, he told the kid to get off the bow.
I then told the operator that the kid could not be sitting on the bow of the boat like that.
The operator told me that he figured that’s why we stopped him. He received a citation for permitting the child to ride on the bow.
I often think back to this moment and play the what if game with myself. What if we hadn’t patrolled the water that day? What if the kid fell off? And so on.
Please be safe on the water this summer and understand we are not trying to be the “fun police.”