FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) - Fredericksburg police officer Joe Young offers those committing minor infractions on the banks of the Rappahannock River two options: a garbage bag or a summons to court.
On a typical day, Young stumbles upon several people committing minor crimes such as littering, trespassing and using alcohol or drugs.
When Young confronts violators and pulls out a 13-gallon white trash bag instead of a ticket, he is usually met with surprise. He recalled one young man who filled up three trash bags with litter, and then asked how to pay his fine.
“They are usually surprised, and try to figure out what the catch is,” Young said. “But there is no catch.”
For almost everyone, accepting the trash bag is a no brainer. Young said one individual can rack up as many as four or five charges in one incident. For example, a person drinking alcohol may end up being charged with littering and drinking in public, too. The result is a trip to court and, oftentimes, multiple fines.
For Young, offering these individuals an opportunity to help him clean up the river is a win-win situation. Many respect his efforts to keep the river, which is the city’s drinking water source, clean and some even return to help him pick up trash.
Young’s unique strategy for keeping the riverbanks clean fits in well with the community policing model advocated by the Fredericksburg Police Department. The idea is for police officers to step out of their traditional law enforcement roles and integrate into the community.
Young said he is willing to work with those who try to work with him, but he takes a hard line on serious crimes, such as opioid use and graffiti.
Graffiti is a felony that can saddle the offender with an enormous fine_and rightly so, Young said. To remove the graffiti, he had to find an environmentally friendly remover that wouldn’t harm the river. He settled on a soybean-based product that works well and doesn’t fill the water with harmful chemicals. But it comes with a hefty price tag_about $1,000 for five gallons.
Graffiti removal also requires firefighters to run hoses down to the river from Riverside Drive, which can be a cumbersome process.
Standing on a rocky ledge that offered a scenic view of the bright blue river dotted with patches of grass and gray boulders sparkling under the glow of the sun, Young remarked that the stretch of water between Motts Landing and the city docks is the most beautiful. But residents couldn’t always enjoy the beauty.
Before the Heritage Trail_the 1.6-mile asphalt stretch connecting the two parts of the Rappahannock Canal Path_opened at the end of 2012, brush and overgrowth marred the entrance to Ficklen Island. At the time, the river served as a popular site of drug abuse and parties that left the area trashed.
The opening of the trail brought fitness enthusiasts, families and other residents to the banks of the river. Young said the cars lining Riverside Drive that once belonged to partiers and drug users have been replaced by those of people simply enjoying the trail and the river.
“Families used to not come down here,” Young said. “I want as many families and good people down here now as possible. That is the goal.”
Young has been a police officer for 15 years and has always had a special place in his heart for the river. He used to spend his free time policing the river, so he jumped on the opportunity to serve as the city’s watershed manager. He now patrols the river “every day, all day,” he said.
Beginning Memorial Day weekend, Young started his mission to clean up the river and make it a hospitable environment for families. Every day, he patrols the banks with a trash bag in hand, cleaning up litter and looking for crime.
He believes that as more families frequent the river, the area will begin to police itself. Those looking to get drunk or high are less likely to do so in an area surrounded by families and people of all ages, he explained.
“This has been a good summer,” Young said. “Some of these areas used to be completely covered in trash and graffiti. We are seeing huge progress.”
Young’s goal is to engage the community in keeping the river clean, and many are stepping up to the plate. He recalled one Sunday when a biker sitting on a bench saw him cleaning up trash. The biker remarked that he had been coming to the river since he was a young boy, and appreciated what the officer was doing. So, he offered to lend a helping hand.
He later returned with his biker group and they helped clean up the area around Old Mill Park. They spent hours tirelessly and meticulously picking up cigarette butts, cans, broken glass and other litter. Not long afterward, a group of Cub Scouts arrived to fill trash bags.
Young also has a special fondness for a young man who frequents the river and always asks him for a trash bag so that he can clean up the area where he plans to hang out. Young said small gestures like this can have a huge impact.
Seeing the community’s willingness to help out, Young began working with the Fredericksburg Police Department to launch a social media campaign that aims to raise awareness of their efforts to clean up the river. When visiting the river, people can snap a photo of themselves filling a trash bag and share it on social media with the hashtag #FXBGRiverLove.
Young is also setting up kiosks at certain access points along the river with free trash bags, which he receives from a friend at no cost. The department also plans to put up signs above the kiosks next week indicating how to participate in the social media campaign.
Pointing toward a family with several young children walking toward the entrance of Ficklen Island, Young said they are why he does what he does.
“That’s what I love_that right there,” he beamed.
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