Bad tactics and attitudes are not the norm, never said it was, but the 20 % percent or so certainly needed better training or a new job not involving making decisions on law or enforcement or conservation. Let me give you just one example occurring 13 to 15 years back.
While digging razor clams on the North coast area,(north of Copalis) we had dug out limits along with a sizable crowd. During the week so it wasn't lots of folks, but prob. a couple of hundred within sight. It was a tough dig, west winds and pretty good surf. We decided to try for larger clams so took us longer. We got pretty wet and it was a tiring and trying day. We limited, upon reaching driveout were approuched by WFDW officer (who WATCHED us and everyone else drive in by entrance) who informed us that season was closed that day, it was a middle day of a 5 day dig, I believe(long time ago).We pulled press release out and showed him, he pointed out another area on another page where it pointed out the one day closure. When I said that contradicts other area on 3 page report he said it was a "typo". He said that he was confiscating clams
but we were lucky to not get a ticket. I got in his face and vigourously encouraged him to go ahead and right a ticket as we had paperwork and if he wanted to waste taxpayer $ on Bullsh** I was happy to "waste my time and embaress him in court. He wouldn't play no matter how much I pushed him, but said if I didn't not only surrender limits but not place them in HIS bucket (i "threatened" to dump them next to his bucket and make him pick them up since I had already put them in my bucket , that doing so made me gag. rather then voluntarily "contribute to his bucket heading for the jail (aprox. 4 gallons of clams already there). I was told that he would imm. take me to jail if I did no comply, by dumping clams directly into his bucket. After telling him once more what I thought of him letting ALL these folks dig clams in tough conditions only to confiscate them rather then stopping them at entrance (if this really was about "conserving clams" that's pretty blatent waste for license holders) he came up with lame excuse about "not getting everyone if he did that and that it "was more work to do that". I implied he'd undoubtably would give clams to all his cronies in corrections and law enforcement rather then the jail inmates as he alluded to.I was like "why not food banks?"As my girlfriend (future wife Melanie) really didn't want to go bail me out on principle (her cooler head has kept me out of jail for shooting off my mouth lots!) I dumped clams in bucket continuing to tell him what I thought of officers of his "ilk" and rubbing my nose with middle finger during session.I have another 4 or five stories like that in 36 years of fishing in WA.
While most law enforement officers are well meaning individuals with good hearts and families there is a sizable minority with bad attitudes and worse personal ethics that need to find another career not involving power over others. Bob R