DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officer Highlights |
ECO Actions for Late October and Early November
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) enforce the 71 Chapters of NY Environmental Conservation Law (ECL), 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, the black market pet trade, and excessive emissions violations. If you witness an environmental crime or believe a violation of environmental law occurred, please call the DEC Division of Law Enforcement hotline at 1-844-DEC-ECOS (1-844-332-3267). “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: ECO Gets Advice from Spiderman – Chautauqua County On Oct. 27, ECO Jerry Kinney was visiting a community Halloween parade in Lakewood when he struck up a conversation with an inquisitive Logan Johnson, who was dressed up as Spiderman. The young man and his mother were interested in ECO Kinney’s work, and the officer shared a few stories and photos from the job. ECO Kinney kept Spiderman’s curiosity peaked for some time. Both Kinney and Logan commented that their conversation was the highlight of their week.
Bear Trapped in Coyote Trap – Sullivan County
Halloween Doe – Warren County
Illegal Deer Case – Greene County
Bear Cub Given a Second Chance Thanks to Concerned Sportsman – Ulster County
Bay Scallop Enforcement — Suffolk County Nov. 5, marked the opening day of New York State’s 2018 Bay Scallop season, and DEC Region 1 Marine Enforcement Unit took to the waters off Eastern Long Island to conduct a patrol. Aboard a 31-foot SAFE boat, ECOs Jordan Doroski, Evan Laczi, Chris Macropoulos, and Ike Bobseine conducted more than 40 vessel boardings to ensure compliance with safety rules, navigational regulations, and fishing laws. In total, 13 individuals were issued tickets or warnings for offenses ranging from failing to have a valid digger permit and possession of welk without a permit, to failure to wear a life jacket and failure to have approved marine sanitation devices onboard while commercial shell fishing. Tickets are to be returned to the respective municipal courts in December.
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