Sardine Wardens? Police of the Sea? Understanding Law Enforcement in Maine’s Coastal Fisheries

• In Event: Peripheral Systems and Police Legitimacy

Abstract

Criminology has long been interested in the history, organization, and strategies of law enforcement agencies. As a result, much is known about the police as well as practices which are effective in reducing criminal behavior. In recent years, law enforcement scholarship has expanded to include fish and game wardens in an effort to understand the ways in which wildlife is protected. Yet there is a scarcity of research on coastal/oceanic law enforcement, such as marine patrol and how their work is similar to but also distinct from traditional “street” police work. Drawing from a variety of sources, including six in-depth interviews with Marine Patrol staff from a northern New England state, this paper describes the history, role, and perspectives of the police of the seas in order to better understand this aspect of law enforcement.

Author

• Michael Rocque, Bates College