140 Years of Conservation Law Enforcement in New York State
Few people realize the great tradition of the New York State Environmental Conservation Police. The oldest law enforcement organization in New York State remarkably began with a contingent of eight men appointed as Game and Fish Protectors in 1880. Since then, we have grown to a force of more than 300 uniformed Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) and plainclothes investigators (ECIs). Our dedication to duty has its roots in a long and proud tradition of fish and wildlife enforcement, that also includes environmental protection today.
Trouble on the Horizon
The end of the 19th century was not a good time for fish and wildlife in New York. Unregulated market hunting and habitat destruction had nearly exterminated many wildlife species; moose and elk were gone, white-tailed deer were at their lowest historical numbers, and wild turkeys became a rare sight. Many hills and mountains stood barren of standing timber, which had been cut for lumber and paper. Resulting runoff choked once pristine trout waters, and acids from tanning factories and pollutants from paper mills exacerbated the problem. In short, the country's natural resources were in serious trouble, as were those in New York.
Citizen's familiar with the outdoors, primarily hunters, anglers, trappers, and foresters, became alarmed over these conditions, giving rise to the conservation movement. Influential men like Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot gave this cause national momentum, resulting in legislation to criminalize, or at least regulate, many past practices. These laws were useless without men to enforce them; hence the Game Protector profession was born.
The Early Years of the Game Protector (1880-1913)
Chapter 591 of the laws of 1880 authorized the Governor of the State of New York to appoint eight persons to be known as game and fish protectors, whose duty it was to enforce the state statutes for the preservation of moose, wild deer, birds and fish, or any other game laws.
Incredibly, the eight Game Protectors appointed in 1880 were charged with covering the entire state. The annual salary was $500 (about $15,000 today) plus no more than $250 for expenses.
NYS Game Protectors (our official title until 1964) enforced fish and wildlife laws at a time when deer, beaver, and fisher populations were dangerously low. Turkeys were a rare sight around the state. Many other species were swiftly becoming extinct. Species such as the Eastern Elk, Labrador Duck, and Heath Hen were completely wiped out. Moose, Gray Wolf, and Lynx were erased from the landscape of New York. The Wood Duck (one of the most common waterfowl today) was nearing extinction. This was a period of market hunting, more aptly defined as the killing of everything and anything that would bring money to the sellers at the market. The fur trade was lucrative and booming.
The millinery trade was just as large, providing the much sought-after bird feathers for the decoration of women’s hats. As a result, many species of desirable birds were shot at will for their plumage. Read more about this in a 1996 Conservationist article (page 6).
Game Protectors were not looked upon favorably by the average citizen. The idea that the government had a right to regulate the taking of fish and game was an alien concept and one that was not well received. Most people felt that these things were provided by God for all to take as they saw fit. As a result, Game Protectors were not afforded a great deal of respect and public sentiment was most often on the side of the poachers.
The first annual Game Protector reports of 1881 provide a glimpse at the challenges faced by these early defenders of the state's natural resources:
"Permit me to say....," stated Game Protector John S. Collett of Otsego County, "that in searching for offenders I have not always been successful. They are shrewd, active, lawless men, and it requires time to run them to the ground."
Game Protector William P. Dodge of Prospect agreed, reporting that most of the violators are "...old offenders, and manage as carefully as a gang of counterfeiters, and have peaceable and law-abiding citizens about them terrorized..."
Sam Taylor and the Wartime Years (1914-1945)
Early Game Protectors were threatened and assaulted routinely. Their homes and property were vandalized, and several of their horses were poisoned. By 1909 several Game Protector’s had been shot at, with one being seriously injured. Fortunately, he recovered from his injuries. Then, one fateful day in April of 1914, one of them paid the ultimate price. Game Protector Samuel S. Taylor was killed. Read the full story of Sam Taylor’s death in a 2014 Conservationist article (page 16).
Sam Taylor’s death opened people’s eyes to the fact that Game Protectors were law enforcement officers in a very dangerous profession. Shortly after his death, Game Protectors were given uniforms for the first time and their numbers were increased. They were issued revolvers for the first time and were trained in their use. This was the birth of their formalized training. It’s hard to believe that all this took place before the New York State Troopers even existed. Unfortunately, Taylor would not be the last to fall in the line of duty. The complete list of Environmental Conservation Police fallen officers is below.
For a glimpse of what it was like during this period, Chief Game Protector Llewellyn Legge summed it up best with this statement in 1922. “…the average territory assigned to each man is approximately 550 square miles. To give to the wildlife of such a vast area the protection it demands, little time off duty is afforded the protector. During the year each protector worked an average of 338 days… Protectors have no specified working days or days off duty. They are expected to work every day in the year and nights too in the hunting and fishing seasons when conditions warrant it. In this work, during the past year, the protectors traveled…an average of about 1000 miles a month per man.”
During WWII, many Game Protectors enlisted in the armed forces. The remainder worked with the FBI, rounding up saboteurs, and investigating reports of mysterious parachutists landing in remote areas. Many protectors were involved in civil defense as air raid wardens, auxiliary firemen, and police.
They kept watch over the more sensitive areas where other police did not patrol, such as reservoirs, power lines, railroad tracks, navigable waterways, dams, canal locks, and bridges.
The Sportsman Era (1946-1964)
After the war, veterans returned home to improved working conditions, a shorter workweek, and more leisure time. There was an increased public interest in the state's natural resources and their use for outdoor recreation. Fishing and hunting were now seen as “sports” and attracted attention from a new breed of outdoor enthusiasts. The number of licensed hunters and anglers in New York State doubled from 1945 to 1952. The number of motorized boats purchased for recreational purposes more than doubled between 1946 and 1958.
As would be expected, this unprecedented pressure on fish and game brought about an increase in law enforcement to protect the state’s natural resources. By 1950, the Game Protector force had increased to 160 officers as well as over 900 Special Game Protectors. These “Specials” were civilian volunteers deputized by the Bureau of Law Enforcement and given peace officer status. To attract recruits, the starting annual salary for Game Protectors was increased to $2,771 by 1952. However, Game Protectors were still required to provide their own cars, had one day off in seven, and were expected to be on call 24 hours a day. Read more about what it was like to be a Game Protector in the 1940s (page 22).
Increased responsibilities and an increased budget brought about new and improved equipment purchases. During the 1950s, top-of-the-line motorboats, portable radios, and even small engine aircraft were purchased for use by Game Protectors. In 1958 the State purchased the first patrol vehicles for the Game Protectors to use instead of their personal vehicles. In 1960, two-way radios began to be installed in patrol cars. By 1963, these radios were installed in all Game Protectors’ vehicles.
Perhaps the most significant change at this time was the evolving role of the Game Protector as an educator of the public. With the increased number of hunters in the woods and boaters on the waters, came a corresponding surge in hunting and boating accidents. New York became the first state to initiate mandatory hunter education in 1949. A year later, hunter education became the responsibility of Game Protectors. In addition to safe firearm handling, topics discussed were conservation laws, hunter ethics, and landowner relations. These courses were so popular, that Game Protectors quickly became overwhelmed with requests. As time went on, boater education became another area that Game Protectors assisted with. As part of their outreach responsibilities, Game Protectors were required to speak on the topic of conservation laws in at least three public schools per year.
The Green Era (1964-2000)
In the 1960s, people became more concerned with widespread pollution of our land, air and water, and the environmental movement took hold. In 1964, the Game Protector title was changed to Conservation Officer, which signaled the beginning of many changes. These officers were no longer just fish and wildlife officers. Now they began to be tasked with environmental quality enforcement, such as water quality, illegal dumping, and wetlands protection.
The first Earth Day was held in 1970, which called national attention to environmental issues. This increased environmental awareness affected state policies and organizations, including the Conservation Department, which became the Department of Environmental Conservation in 1970.
In 1971, legislation upgraded the newly named Environmental Conservation Officer from peace officer to police officer status with authority to enforce all NYS laws. The Bureau of Law Enforcement was renamed the Division of Law Enforcement and now had the additional responsibility of enforcing many existing public health and agricultural laws, including those relating to solid waste, petroleum products, air emissions, industrial chemical disposal, and pesticides.
Along with this new authority came a need for increased training. In the early 1970s, the Division of Law Enforcement created a formal training program. This training was held at the State Police Academy in Albany and brought all 240 Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) up to speed on their new responsibilities. Beginning in 1974, all newly appointed ECOs were required to attend a rigorous 16-week paramilitary-style training session, covering everything from physical fitness to all the laws of New York State. By 1982, these “Basic Schools” were increased to 26 weeks.
In 1978, the K-9 program was created. ECO Richard “Dick” Matzell and a German shepherd named "Paws" completed 18 weeks of intensive training at the State Police Academy. Over his 11-year career with the division, Paws was responsible for hundreds of arrests and helped locate many lost people, including small children. Today the K-9 program boasts nine canines stationed throughout the state.
In 1982, the Bureau of Environmental Conservation Investigations was created to conduct longer-term plain-clothes and “undercover” investigations, mainly dealing with hazardous waste laws. Today, Environmental Conservation Investigators (ECIs) work on many unique investigations, ranging from solid waste to illegal commercialization of wildlife to timber theft, and continue to be a valuable asset to the protection of the state’s natural resources, tracking down both poachers and polluters alike.
Read about what it was like to be an Environmental Conservation Officer in the 1970s (page 31) in an article written by Joseph Lynch, a former Colonel with the Division. It is a great article that captures the flavor of the times.
The Emergency Response Era (2001-present)
ECOs have always responded to large-scale events that affect public safety, such as the Robert Garrow prison break in 1973 and the TWA flight 800 recovery effort of 1996. ECOs have access to equipment that most other law enforcement agencies do not, such as patrol boats, 4x4 vehicles, snowmobiles, and ATVs. These assets are sometimes crucial to emergency response, especially during extreme weather events.
The World Trade Center terrorist attack in 2001 changed everything. This tragedy put homeland security in the limelight and raised the bar for emergency response readiness by law enforcement. During the 9/11 tragedy, ECOs were among the first to respond and many from around the state were detailed there to assist with the rescue and recovery efforts. As of this writing, several ECOs (both active and retired) have become ill with 911-related diseases such as cancer and lung ailments. In 2017, ECO Steve Raymond (retired) was the first ECO to succumb to cancer that was a direct result of the time he spent at the 911 site.
After 9/11, emergency response became a top priority to all law enforcement and the NYS Environmental Conservation Police were no exception. Since then, ECOs have become experts on emergency response protocols, all-weather deployments, radiation detection, high-risk woodland operations, and maritime security. Deployment during extreme weather events became commonplace, as did responses to fugitive searches. In 2006, the DEC dispatch began full time, 24/7 operation. That same year, the Ralph “Bucky” Phillips fugitive search underscored the usefulness of an ECOs unique skills “off the pavement,” as did the Dannemora Prison Break of 2015. The back-to-back destruction caused by Hurricane Irene (2011) and Hurricane Sandy (2012) demonstrated how useful a police officer with ATV and boating skills could be during an extreme weather event. In 2020 and 2021, ECOs performed various tasks at COVID-19 vaccination and testing sites. This is just a sample of how the emergency response era has transformed law enforcement and the role that ECOs play in protecting the public.
From the Past to the Future
The NYS Environmental Conservation Police have evolved into a well-rounded law enforcement agency with over 300 sworn officers and investigators, however, they still maintain their unique focus on natural resource protection and public education.
Today’s Environmental Conservation Officers still maintain the values and work ethic of their dedicated predecessors, the Game Protectors. By working day and night for a mission in which they believed and to which they were committed, Game Protectors provided the standard for today's ECOs. Many of the old traditions from the last century are still with us: the uniforms are still green; the fervor to protect the environment is still strong; and there are still places in New York State where ECOs are the only law enforcement officers that anyone is likely to encounter.
Their main mission encompasses two broad enforcement areas: fish and wildlife and environmental quality. Fish and wildlife enforcement includes addressing any complaints involving illegal hunting, fishing, or trapping as well as endangered species violations, commercial fishing regulations (lobsters, clams, food fish), hunter safety and firearms violations and nuisance wildlife issues. Environmental quality enforcement includes air pollution, water pollution, illegal disposal of solid waste, timber theft, wetland degradation, illegal pesticide application, petroleum spills, hazardous waste regulation and any other area that would negatively impact the environment. In addition to this, ECOs also spend a significant amount of time enforcing ATV, boat, and snowmobile regulations.
After over 130 years of evolution, what is the modern version of the New York State Environmental Conservation Police Officer? The Division of Law Enforcement’s modern mission statement could have been written by those first eight men: "To protect the environment, natural resources and people of the State of New York through law enforcement, education, and public outreach."
