DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officer Highlights |
ECO Actions for Mid to Late February
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) enforce the 71 Chapters of NY Environmental Conservation Law, protecting fish and wildlife and preserving environmental quality across New York. In 2017, the 301 ECOs across the state responded to 26,400 calls and issued 22,150 tickets for crimes ranging from deer poaching to corporate toxic dumping and illegal mining, black market pet trade, and excessive emissions violations. “From Montauk Point to Mount Marcy, from Brooklyn to Buffalo, the ECOs patrolling our state are the first line of defense in protecting New York’s environment and our natural resources, ensuring that they exist for future generations of New Yorkers,” said Commissioner Basil Seggos. “They work long and arduous hours, both deep in our remote wildernesses and in the tight confines of our urban landscapes. Although they don’t receive much public fanfare, the work of our ECOs is critical to achieving DEC’s mission to protect and enhance our environment.” Recent missions carried out by ECOs include:
Chinatown Fish Case Settled – Kings County
The Year of the Clam – Nassau County
Quick Fix – Niagara County On Feb. 20, ECO Josh Wolgast responded to a call regarding a fuel spill in North Tonawanda with the DEC Spills unit, North Tonawanda Police Department, North Tonawanda Fire and Niagara County’s HAZMAT personnel. The group found the source of the spill, which had spread through several properties around Belling Place. The investigation revealed that a subject had punctured and emptied a home heating oil tank that was being removed from a residence on Belling Place. The subject admitted to emptying the fuel into five-gallon buckets before hauling the buckets across the street and dumping approximately 50 gallons of fuel onto the ground behind a garage. Crews worked to contain the fuel, no impacts to water sources were noted, and the defendant was issued several tickets returnable to the City of North Tonawanda Court on March 1.
Too Early for Stripers – Rockland County On Feb. 21, ECOs Corey Hornicek and Jon Walraven were on patrol in Rockland County when they observed two men accompanied by several young children fishing on a pier notorious for fish poaching. Almost immediately, the ECOs noticed a stringer hanging over the side of the pier. As the ECOs approached the group, the officers asked the fishermen whether they had caught any fish, to which both replied “none today.” ECO Walraven pulled up the stringer, which had six striped bass on the end of it. Confronted with the overwhelming evidence, one of the fisherman admitted to keeping the fish on the stringer. The fish were still alive and were released. The fisherman was issued a ticket for possession of striped bass out of season, returnable to the Village of Haverstraw Court. On Feb. 24, ECO Adam Johnson received a call about a fisherman keeping striped bass out of season and putting them in his vehicle near Piermont Pier. ECOs Johnson and Jon Walraven responded and stopped the suspect’s vehicle as he was leaving the parking lot. The driver admitted to having five striped bass in the vehicle and was ticketed for possessing striped bass out of season and failing to have a marine registry. The ECOs continued checking fishermen along the pier and encountered five more individuals in possession of striped bass. The stripers were hidden inside two more vehicles and among the rocks along the pier. In total, the officers seized 20 striped bass from six individuals and 10 tickets were issued for possessing striped bass out of season and failing to have a marine registry. The living fish were returned to the Hudson River. All of the tickets are returnable to the Village of Piermont Court.
Don’t Shoot and Drive – Lewis County On Feb. 22, ECOs Tim Worden and Zach Brown assisted the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department with a complaint about two young men shooting at road signs. The night before, a local resident managed to get a license plate number from a vehicle after hearing gunshots in front of his house. Lewis County Deputies tracked down the men and both admitted that they had been driving around and shooting road signs from their vehicle. ECOs Worden and Brown searched the area and found a shell casing from a .22 caliber rifle just 54 feet from a dwelling. Both men were charged with 11 misdemeanors, including shooting from a roadway, possessing a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling. The charges are returnable to the Town of New Bremen and Town of Watson courts. The Lewis County District Attorney’s Office is pursuing additional charges against the men.
Hot Pursuit Ends In Cold Swim – Putnam County On Feb. 23, ECO Kevin Wamsley received a phone call at 2 a.m. from DEC Dispatch that a vehicle had crashed into a pond in Putnam County. ECO Wamsley arrived to find multiple fire engines, ambulances, and local police cars on scene. A Sergeant from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department explained that a deputy had attempted to stop a vehicle for speeding but the vehicle sped away, failed to navigate a turn, crashed through a guardrail, went airborne, landed in the middle of the pond, and became submerged. The driver swam through the icy water, was arrested on shore, and taken to the hospital. A dive team confirmed there were no other occupants in the vehicle and hooked up a tow line. The car was hauled out of the water by a local towing company. ECO Wamsley determined that oil spilled into the pond, as well. Numerous summonses were issued to the driver by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, including driving while intoxicated. ECO Wamsley also issued a ticket to the driver for polluting waters in contravention of standards, with all charges pending in the Town of Southeast Court.
Illegal Solid Waste Burning – Rensselaer and Greene Counties
Too Much Mud – Broome County
|
