NEWS RELEASE
MICHIGAN HOUSE REPUBLICANS
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State Reps. Greg Markkanen and Dave Prestin on Tuesday announced their plan to modernize policies for conservation officers, the police force within the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The bills update warrant requirements for the department, requiring conservation officers obtain a search warrant before entering private property. The legislation also includes a measure to require conservation officers to wear body cameras, similar to other law enforcement officers in Michigan.
“We need the DNR to update their outdated rules and policies, both for their best interest and the public,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “While every law enforcement agency can theoretically use the open fields doctrine, most choose to respect private property and only enter with probable cause or a search warrant. There’s no reason that the DNR needs to wander 3 miles into private property to check if a hunter is wearing orange. If you’re on your own property and you haven’t seen a stranger in days, and the first one you see is wearing green and trespassing, it would make sense to have some concerns.”
Other law enforcement agencies in the state typically can only enter private property with probable cause or a search warrant. The plan is designed to protect the brave DNR officers by ensuring they’re operating under the most current, reliable policing standards available.
Prestin’s bill would require the DNR to obtain a search warrant before accessing private property, ending a decades-old practice of the DNR entering first and asking questions later. There are exceptions to the new warrant requirement, as there are for every other law enforcement agency. For example, conservation officers will not need a warrant if they get permission to enter, when in hot pursuit of a suspect, to protect life, or preserve evidence.
Body worn cameras protect law enforcement officers from meritless abuse of power allegations. Markkanen’s bill would remove a departmental rule prohibiting DNR officials from wearing body cameras, bringing the DNR into the 21st century and aligning with best practices observed by other law enforcement agencies.
“Every other law enforcement agency in the state utilizes camera technology to shield their officers from false claims, it’s only fair that the conservation officers receive those same protections,” said Markkanen, R-Hancock. “We are just asking the DNR adopt to the same standards as all other law enforcement agencies in the state of Michigan – no more, no less. The DNR has been operating in the past for far too long; it’s finally time to raise their standards and protect our hard-working conservation officers.”
The bills will soon be referred to a House committee for further consideration.
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