Ocracoke is still reeling from last week?s visitors to the island ? not from the 400 or so anglers who were there for the 30th annual Ocracoke Village Surf Fishing Tournament but from the visit of two state troopers during the event.
The troopers arrived on Wednesday and left on Saturday morning. They were from Troop A, District 4, based in Washington, N.C.
The tournament began Wednesday evening with fishing on Thursday and Friday and ended with a party and awards on Friday evening.
Over the troopers? three-day stay, 59 citations were issued, including 32 for not wearing seat belts and five for driving while impaired, First Sgt. Brandon Craft told Island Free Press reporter Connie Leinbach on Monday. Eighteen warnings were given, and only warnings were given for bicycle infractions, such as riding at night without a light.
The State Police spokesman was unapologetic in the interview by Leinbach.
?We knew there would be an influx of traffic that weekend, and when that happens, there?s the increased potential for violations,? Craft said about choosing last week to show up. ?Our job is to reduce accidents, deter problems, and be proactive rather than reactive. We arrested five drunk drivers who could have hit a child (or adult) on the road.?
People should respect the law, Craft continued.
?People shouldn?t expect to get on Ocracoke and disobey the law,? he said. ?It really shouldn?t be a big deal for a trooper to be on the island.?
As an Ocracoke business owner told me today, it shouldn?t be a big deal.
?Let them come,? said Tony McGowan, owner of Down Creek Gallery. ?We expect them.?
McGowan noted that troopers have been coming to Ocracoke on major holiday weekends for years. And they came, did their jobs, and left without incident.
This time around, Ocracokers feel that the visit was different.
Many of them have told Leinbach and The Ocracoke Current that the pair who landed on the island last week were ?aggressive? and ?arrogant.?
There are stories of folks being stopped for having a sticker on a license plate that was crooked, being grilled about prescription drugs that they had just picked up at the medical center, having everyone in a vehicle forced to take a breathalyzer ? not just the driver but the wife who was a passenger and Grandma and a teenager in the back seat.
Roadblocks and blue lights were everywhere on Thursday and Friday, and at least one motel owner said some of his guests ? anglers in the tournament ? were afraid to leave their room for dinner. There were reports of visitors leaving the island early because of perceived ?strong-arm? or ?police-state? tactics.
Let?s be clear here that Hatteras and Ocracoke islands are not without law enforcement. Both islands are covered by county deputy sheriffs and Park Service enforcement rangers, who do their jobs quite well.
There are also state troopers on a regular basis on Hatteras and less frequently on Ocracoke, and we welcome their presence.
Ocracokers who are upset by this latest visit from the State Police are not saying that islanders and visitors should be above the law and not subject to the same scrutiny that folks in all other parts of the state are.
Of course, none of us should drink and drive. We should wear seatbelts and obey all other rules of the road. Bicyclists should have lights at night.
If we don?t follow the rules, we should be cited.
It is also true that Ocracoke is extremely congested during the summer and other busy weekends. The narrow roads are clogged with vehicles, golf carts, bikes, and pedestrians.
This must be a challenge for law enforcement.
However, it is also clear from the outrage on Ocracoke, that this visit from State Police was somehow different.
There have been few, if any, comments or complaints about the state law enforcement presence on the island in the past.
This time, some person or persons were frustrated enough to throw a cinder block through the back window of a trooper?s vehicle and deface another one with paint.
This was a very bad idea that never should have happened.
It is, of course, no way to facilitate a better relationship with the State Police.
Our island economies are dependent on tourism and making our guests feel as welcome as possible. Therefore, it is important for all law enforcement officers ? county, state, and federal — to do their jobs in the most professional polite manner possible.
I am sure that is also a big challenge for policing agencies who are dealing with visitors who are on vacation and out to have a good time.
We need law enforcement, but it is also possible that enforcing the law on Ocracoke got out of hand last week.
Someone in a position of authority should take a look into that and reach out to the Ocracoke community to heal a deep divide that has developed ? whatever the reason.
Public safety comes first and we should all ? locals and visitors ? feel comfortable with the law enforcement presence on our islands. And law enforcement officers should feel free to do their jobs.
What happened last week on Ocracoke deserves another look.
