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11/10/2020 03:48 PMThe Guilford Police Department (GPD) is planning further action to curb the dangerous and destructive use of Guilford Land Conservation Trust (GLCT) trails by people using off-road vehicles, according to GPD Sergeant Martina Jakober.
A little over a week ago, GPD posted videos on its Facebook page showing multiple people over the course of about three weeks in September illegally riding these vehicles on GLCT property. Jakober said that GPD has been working closely with GLCT, sharing footage and information “in hopes of reducing that,” though incidents have continued.
There have been no arrests or citations related to this activity yet, according to Jakober, but incidents have continued.
“It’s getting to be so many people,” she said.
GLCT volunteer Ted Mankovich estimated that when the weather is good, trespassers are out there “every other day,” taking their vehicles on multiple properties sometimes.
Mankovich said that while GLCT doesn’t necessarily want harsh legal punishments for them, the off-road riders have caused a consistent problem on the trails, harassing hikers, tearing up trails, and damaging the fragile ecosystem.
“What we’re interested in is, ‘Stop doing this,’” he said.
The more than 3,000 acres owned and preserved by the GLCT are private property intended for passive recreation and hiking, and using these kinds of motorized vehicles is against the law and also dangerous, Jakober said, with a handful of fatal accidents from their use over the last couple years.
Additionally, these vehicles cause significant damage to trails and other parts of the landscape, according to Mankovich, polluting groundwater with oil and tearing up protected plant species.
“They’ve created a situation now where there’s a tremendous amount of erosion on a couple trails,” Mankovich said. “[It’s] very bad ecologically.”
Mankovich said he and other GLCT volunteers shared extensive maps with the GPD in hopes of allowing them to better track the off-roaders, walking around 35 total miles to identify where they are coming and going.
The GPD has also helped ensure that there is plenty of proper signage around the trails to indicate that people on dirt bikes or ATVs are trespassing, according to Mankovich, meaning anyone caught could potentially suffer much more severe legal consequences.
Riders have also been a nuisance to those simply trying to enjoy the trails, Mankovich said, going so far as telling them to “get off the trail” to make way for an impromptu race.
Even more dangerous situations are caused by people riding the non-street vehicles along roadways, where they have been “consistently” seen along the Route 80 line, according to Jakober. GPD is not allowed to pursue these vehicles, not wanting to risk the safety of the riders, the officers, or other bystanders, she said.
About eight years ago, Jakober herself was tapped to essentially lead a special task force involving the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP), state policy, and other local police departments that had access to the state police’s airplane, tracking ATVs and other illegally operated vehicles through the trees in order to identify the offenders.
“If you can track them to an address, it makes it a lot easier,” she said. “We did have some stops...We were able to publicize it afterward, and it really reduced the amount of trespassing that was happening on the property.”
Though she didn’t provide details, Jakober said that this type of operation “is definitely something that is going to be happening again.”
Social media posts and publishing video filmed by cameras that the GLCT have set up around trails is a “precursor” to further actions, according to Jakober, giving residents a chance to identify offenders, and warning violators against future incursions.
“We know you’re out there, we know you’re trespassing, here’s your picture,” Jakober said. “Make it stop, or we’re going to start prosecuting.”
Drones and other technology have made these sorts of operations easier in some ways, according to Jakober, adding that GPD would continue to prioritize public safety with any kind of operation.
Those people who have been confronted or cited in year’s past often complain that they have nowhere to ride their vehicles in the state—something Jakober said “doesn’t really fall on us.”
“The town doesn’t have to provide a place to ride, the state doesn’t have to provide a place to ride,” she said. “Unfortunately unless you have a large swath of land, you’re going to have a really difficult time finding a place to ride in Connecticut.”
Video footage of violators can be viewed on the GPD Facebook page, as well as the GLCT website guilfordlandtrust.org.
Anyone who has pertinent information on the incidents can call the GPD anonymous tip line at 203-453-8240 or email GLCT at info@guilfordlandtrust.org.