SALT LAKE CITY — Earlier this year, game wardens with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources blew the whistle on a new policy requiring them to document one violation of the law every 23 hours.
Some of them felt the new “performance goal” was an illegal quota.
“It’s no longer about catching people doing bad things, but doing things in an effort to justify the numbers to meet the quota,” said one former game warden.
DWR Chief Wyatt Bubak defended the policy at the Utah State Capitol before the Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Interim Committee.
- Game wardens have found ways to double crime stats in response to new policy
- Freeway drivers across Utah get pulled over by wildlife officers, feel targeted by 'illegal quota'
- Lawmakers who banned police quotas to demand answers from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
The Utah State Legislature banned police quotas in 2018, specifically targeting citations and arrests.
Bubak stated the “performance goal” technically follows the "wording" of the law because it only tracks an officer’s number of “violations" — different than "citations" or "arrests."
He stopped himself from saying the policy fits the “intent” of the law.
VIDEO BELOW: DNR Chief Bubak talks to Utah lawmakers
Lawmakers called in DWR to testify after a series of investigative reports by FOX 13 News.
Some game wardens admitted to pulling over drivers on the freeway to inflate their stats.
“It’s a lot easier to go out and work the highway than it is to go up on the mountain,” an officer said.
Rep. Scott Chew, R-Jensen, stated he heard similar complaints from constituents before watching the FOX 13 stories.
In one case, a constituent reportedly had trouble getting a game warden to respond to a wildlife-related case because they were too busy “monkeying off on the interstate writing traffic tickets.”
“I kind of laughed that off,” Chew said. “I thought that was ridiculous... Then this report came out, and I was like, ‘Woah! What’s going on here?!’”
VIDEO BELOW: Lawmakers ask DNR about officers patrolling Interstate highways
Chew stated he had nothing but praise for the game wardens who patrol his region of the state.
Crime has more than doubled since the “performance goal” was implemented.
Traffic stops on the freeway have more than tripled since 2021.
Rep. Walt Brooks, R-St. George, accused FOX 13 News of “sensationalizing” the numbers.
Bubak stated game wardens are mostly prioritizing wildlife-related crime, which account for approximately 70 percent of all cases.
“I’m very disappointed... I hope they shift away from it,” said Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross. “I think they have more important things to do than pulling people over on the freeway. I think that’s why we have Utah Highway Patrol.”
Weiler is now trying to implement a punishment for agencies that ignore the ban on police quotas.
“I’m a little bit concerned about it as well,” said Rep. Carl Albrecht, R-Richfield. “How does [UHP] and the Utah Sheriffs’ Association feel about you on the interstate writing tickets?”
Todd Royce, the director of all law enforcement for Utah Department of Natural Resources, admitted he has heard concerns from sheriffs.
The Utah Sheriffs’ Association has accused DWR of overstepping, not coordinating with counties on traffic enforcement.
“I think the sheriffs do a good job,” Albrecht said. “If they need help? I think they’ll call you.”
“Yup,” Royce said. “I agree with you.”
“I don’t think you should be infringing upon state highways or Interstate 15,” Albrecht said. “That’s just my personal opinion.”
Bubak said the agency does not receive any revenue from citations and that his supervisors continuously remind officers to prioritize wildlife-related crime.
Rep. Kera Birkeland, R-Mountain Green, previously stated she will be summoning DWR to answer questions before the Legislature’s Administrative Rules Review and General Oversight Committee.
"Why do we want to keep pumping more money out of the citizens of our state? They're being taxed enough already!" Birkeland said. "[Officers] have to meet a certain goal. Quota? Goal? Whatever you want to call it? It’s an issue."