I spoke with Sergeant Dale Roath, the community relations correspondent from the Grapevine Police Department, in an attempt to understanding how law enforcement view skateboarding and its participants.
What laws are in place regarding skateboarding?
With those laws in mind, what are the primary complaints about skaters you receive?
Right now, we really don't get a whole lot of complaint about skateboarders. At one time, going back several years, we were having problems at one of the elementary schools. Basically, where the kids were skateboarding, they ended up being close to some glass doors that ended up getting cracked. There have also been complaints about skateboarders tearing up the tennis courts on the north side of town that we've had to respond to.
What kind of penalties do violators face?
If they were skateboarding on private property and were told to leave, and didn't leave, it could be criminal trespassing. If you were skateboarding in the downtown area where it's prohibited, that would be a city ordinance violation. You could either receive a warning or you could receive a class "C" citation, which would be equivalent to a littering or traffic penalty.
Do you think skateboarding is popular enough here to warrant the city building a skate park?
I don't see it a lot, but that's not to say there isn't a lot of enthusiasm out there for it. For the city to do something like that there would have to be a lot of interest.
What have your experiences dealing with skateboarders been like? Has it been like stereotype skaters are hooligans?
My experiences with skateboarders have been pretty limited. The few times I've had to deal with people skateboarding in places they shouldn't, I've gone out and asked them to leave, and they left.
What kind of skate tricks can you pull off?
Haha well I don't think I'd do too well on a skateboard.
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