Next Door Neighbor

Rebekah A. Hall

To defend the precious desert land surrounding Marana, Ariz., from hunters, dirt bikers and illegal dumpers, local police have armed themselves with high-powered weapons and newly purchased all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).

Police felt the somewhat drastic measures were necessary to combat the area's sharp increase in illegal activities. Dirt-biking trails, jumps, banked turns and sporadic trash piles have “obliterated ground vegetation over several acres,” says Marana Police Sgt. Bill Derfus.

Officers on ATVs and horseback now patrol the land during different eight-hour shifts, so offenders will not know when officers are out. This has led to several run-ins with bikers, such as when an officer gave warnings to nine people during a four-hour period. Derfus reports that most bikers have been friendly and were not aware they were breaking the law.

But nearby resident Nancy Denzler-Riordan does not care what offenders say. “They're destroying the pristine desert,” she says.”

Source: Yahoo! News