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RAP hotline does good work for many years

A program maintained by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources designed to catch and convict poachers has done good work while getting very little publicity over the years.

According DNR statistics, the Report All Poachers or RAP initiative produces about 6,500 criminal complaints each year. Many result in convictions.

“It’s a great program and it rewards people for sticking their neck out,” said the agency’s Lt. Peter Wright, who oversees one of two Upper Peninsula DNR law enforcement districts. “What’s changed is our communication and the ability to get ahold of the officers right away.”

The state used a small percentage of revenue from hunting and fishing licenses to create the RAP hotline in 1980 to allow citizens an easy method to report illegal hunting and fishing activity to the DNR’s Law Enforcement Division. Since then, the operation has grown to include a 1,000-square-foot room in the state government building complex in Lansing that is staffed around the clock by up to seven people at a time.

The RAP hotline is 1-800-292-7800. If you see something or someone that you think should be reported, don’t hesitate.

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