The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Division of Law Enforcement enforces the 71 chapters of New York State’s Environmental Conservation Law (ECL), protecting fish and wildlife and preserving environmental quality across New York. In 1880, the first eight Game Protectors proudly began serving to protect the natural resources and people of New York State. In 2023, the Division of Law Enforcement fielded more than 101,500 calls, resulting in Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) and Investigators across the state responding to more than 30,932 complaints and working on cases that resulted in nearly 16,900 tickets or arrests for violations ranging from deer poaching to solid waste dumping, illegal mining, the illegal pet trade, and excessive emissions violations.
“DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officers and Investigators from Brooklyn to Buffalo and beyond work around the clock to protect our environment, safeguard public health, and hold law breakers accountable,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “As DEC continues its efforts to build a Police force more reflective of the communities they serve, the public can rest assured that our Officers, in partnership with representatives of local, State, and federal law enforcement agencies, continue to enforce New York’s stringent Environmental Conservation Laws.”
Lack of License – Onondaga County
In February, an Onondaga County man paid a penalty to settle several charges related to leashed tracking dog violations. In late October 2023, Investigator Angotti received a complaint about an individual with a leashed tracking dog license charging excessive amounts of money to search for wounded deer, a service that is usually provided at no cost. Investigator Angotti checked license records and discovered the subject had failed to renew his leashed tracking dog license and was operating all deer season without one. Angotti reviewed the DEC Division of Law Enforcement blotter and identified 18 instances in DEC Region 7 during which the subject used a dog to search for wounded deer without the proper license. Investigator Angotti and Lieutenant Colesante worked together on an administrative consent order requiring the subject to pay more than $3,000 for 18 counts of allowing dogs to hunt deer.
Shinnecock Bay Seal Capture – Suffolk County
On Feb. 22, ECOs McGhee, Vandenbos, Simmons, and Paschke assisted research biologists from the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society with a seal capture in Shinnecock Bay, town of Southampton. Biologists took samples from the seals to support ongoing research by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, which coordinates national responses to stranded seals and whales, before releasing them unharmed. Biologists also attached satellite tags to the seals to help monitor population movements. The Southampton Town Marine Patrol also participated.
To report a live seal that appears to be sick or injured, call the New York Stranding Hotline at 631-369-9829 and speak with trained biologists. For more information, visit the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society.
They Took the Bait - Erie County
In early March, ECO Bobseine received a complaint about anglers keeping large quantities of baitfish (minnows) at Black Rock Canal Park in Buffalo. Officer Bobseine responded to the area, parked several blocks away from the anglers’ location, and continued to the site on foot. The ECO observed three individuals netting large quantities of baitfish and placing them into large coolers and a barrel in the bed of a pickup truck. All the containers contained 12-volt aerators connected to a battery system. ECO Bobseine checked the anglers and discovered two of them failed to possess valid New York State fishing licenses. When questioned, the trio told conflicting stories about their plans for the thousands of baitfish, from selling them to friends to releasing them to a different waterbody, which is illegal without a permit. Officer Bobseine issued two tickets for fishing without a license, advised the anglers it is illegal to transport baitfish outside the I-90 bait transport corridor, and left the area.
As the subjects departed the location, Lieutenant Mathis, who was notified about the fishing compliance check, arrived in an unmarked vehicle and followed the pickup truck filled with baitfish from Black Rock Canal Park to a residence in Boston, New York. At the residence, the subjects prepared to release the baitfish into their personal pond despite being advised not to do so less than an hour before. ECO Bobseine arrived at the residence a short time later and issued the operator of the vehicle a ticket for the illegal transport of baitfish. The Officer then directed the anglers to release the fish back to Black Rock Canal Park.
Ice Rescue Indian Lake - Hamilton County
On March 13, ECO Pierce observed a portable ice shanty near a marina on Indian Lake in Hamilton County. Officer Pierce walked down to the shoreline and noticed open water and melting ice in the distance due to the 55-degree temperatures in the area. The ECO called out to the shanty after confirming the poor ice quality and two subjects exited. ECO Pierce advised the pair there was no safe way for them to make it back to shore. The anglers, confident they could simply retrace the route they took earlier in the day (when it was 20 degrees), attempted to demonstrate a way back to shore when one of them fell through. The fallen angler’s partner pulled him back up to more stable ice, uninjured, and ECO Pierce advised both subjects to return to the shanty for warmth and to gather their gear while he contacted DEC Ray Brook Dispatch requesting assistance from Forest Rangers and Indian Lake Fire and EMS.
Officer Pierce next found a canoe at the marina, launched it with the help of two area residents, and proceeded to chip the unstable ice with his axe while attempting to make a channel out to the stronger ice where the anglers were stranded. As the Officer got closer and the anglers began making their way to the canoe, the second individual went through the ice. Fortunately, two Indian Lake firefighters arrived at the location and entered the water in dry suits while their chief assisted from shore. The firefighters swam out in front of ECO Pierce and broke the rest of the unstable ice, allowing the Officer to maneuver the canoe to the anglers. The firefighters helped stabilize the boat while Officer Piece shuttled the anglers and their equipment safely to shore.
Open Burning Issues – Greene/Erie/Sullivan/Orange Counties
ECOs recently responded to illegal burns in several counties leading up to and after a statewide ban on residential brush burning took effect on March 16.
On March 13, days before the ban, ECOs Smith and Palmateer discovered two illegal burns while on patrol in the town of Athens. The Officers discovered the first illegal burn while responding to an unrelated brush fire called in by Greene County 911. After supporting the local fire department in their quick suppression of the brush fire, the Officers observed a small fire pit that contained burning construction and demolition debris. The ECOs encountered a similar situation a few hours later in the town of Catskill. They issued warnings to both property owners and reminded them it is unlawful to burn anything other than clean wood in New York State.
On March 16, the first day of New York’s two-month-long burn ban, ECO Damrath ticketed a property owner in Erie County for burning the remains of a barn, something the property owner admitted to doing for years.
It was a similar story for Officers in Sullivan and Orange counties -- ECOs Doroski, Parker, Wood and Lieutenant Buckley issued tickets to multiple New Yorkers for illegally burning brush and other debris during the burn ban, including for a large brush fire in the town of Thompson that required the response of several local fire companies.
The New York State Burn Ban runs from March 16 through May 14.
Don’t Feed the Deer – Franklin County
On March 13, ECOs Okonuk and Garrand conducted a deer feeding detail in Northern Franklin County during which the Officers issued multiple warnings to people intentionally feeding deer. It is illegal to feed deer in New York and illegal to hunt deer over pre-established bait. For more information on the laws pertaining to deer and moose feeding visit DEC’s website.
Oil Spill – Franklin County
On March 15, ECOs Okonuk and Garrand responded to an oil spill on County Route 24 in the town of Bellmont. A commercial bus company carrying a women’s collegiate lacrosse team had experienced a mechanical failure that resulted in the release of more than 10 gallons of oil in the travel lane and shoulder of the road. ECOs worked quickly with the Burke Volunteer Fire Department, Franklin County Highway Department, DEC Spills Unit, and the bus company to mitigate any potential environmental impacts due to the spill and ensure the safety of the passengers on the bus and other motorists sharing the road.
Chlorine and Aluminum Sulfate Spill - Montgomery County
On March 14, the president of a water filtration company settled charges related to the illegal spill of chemicals in Montgomery County. In November 2023, a homeowner on Logtown Road Extension in the town of Glen arranged for the company to remove leftover chemical product and equipment from their property at the conclusion of a business contract. On Nov. 3, 2023, two company employees returned to the property to retrieve their equipment but illegally emptied more than 15 gallons of remaining liquid chlorine and aluminum sulfate into the roadway outside of the residence. Home security footage captured the employees in the act and picked up audio of discussions about potential damage from the spill if it were to drain into a nearby ditch. The homeowner contacted DEC to report the spill and ECO Willson began investigating. The Officer spoke to the homeowner and reviewed evidence at the property before traveling to company headquarters and observing bags of chemical product at the facility identical to what had been spilled in the roadway. The ECO then interviewed the president of the company who admitted to knowing about the spill and failing to report or clean it up. Officer Willson issued two tickets for failure to report a spill and putting a noisome or unwholesome substance on a highway.
The company president accepted a plea to one count of failure to report a spill in Glen Town Court after months of legal procedures and received a $1,500 fine and $90 surcharge. The company faces an additional $1,500 in civil liability to cover the environmental impact costs to remediate the homeowner’s property.
Fish Puts Up a Fight - Queens and Bronx Counties
On March 17, ECOs Milliron, Clinger, Rappold, Kortz, and Lieutenant Macropoulos conducted enforcement details focused on protecting striped bass during the closed season during nighttime high tide in Queens and Bronx counties. In Bronx County, Officers Kortz and Rappold conducted plainclothes surveillance at Ferry Point Park and observed an angler going back and forth to a wooded location in the park. The Officers contacted ECOs Milliron and Clinger who approached the subject. During the interview, Officers heard unusual sounds coming from the nearby woods. ECO Clinger entered the wooded area to investigate and observed a second subject holding down a striped bass with his hands and knees as the fish flopped about in the leaves. The Officers located seven striped bass in the wooded area and issued tickets to both anglers for taking striped bass out of season and failure to release without undue harm, returnable to Bronx County Criminal Court. Striped bass season opens on April 15 with a limit of one fish per day between 28 and 31 inches.
St. Patrick’s Day Cub – Jefferson County
On March 17, ECO Jarecki received a call reporting a bear cub in the cab of an excavator in the town of Wilna. The Officer arrived at the location and spoke to the owner/operator of the excavator who said he was removing downed trees and brush to widen farm fields when he accidentally collapsed a bear den. Moments later, the owner/operator noticed a small bear cub and attempted to approach it, but the animal ran up the tracks of the machine, climbed into the cab through the open excavator door, and hid between the seat and the wall of the cab. With the mother bear nowhere in sight, Officer Jarecki safely removed the cub and placed it in a carrier. The next day, he and ECO Burgess helped to transfer the young bear to Friends of the Feathered and Furry Wildlife Center in Greene County where the cub will be cared for until ready for release.
Stranded Harp Seals - Richmond and Queens Counties
On March 19, ECOs Keegan and Milliron responded to John F. Kennedy airport in Queens County for reports of a grey seal on a runway. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey escorted the Officers across several runways to the seal and discovered it hiding under a vehicle. The ECOs successfully captured the seal and placed it in a carrier before transporting it to the New York Rescue Center for evaluation.
A few days earlier, on March 13, Lieutenant Gates and ECO Clinger responded to a call about a distressed harp seal that had washed ashore in Richmond County and did not move for approximately 24 hours. The Officers assisted in transporting the seal to the New York Rescue Center for treatment.
Harp seals are predominantly found in the cold waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The public is reminded to always keep a safe distance from marine mammals. Learn more about marine mammals in New York.
To report a live seal that appears to be sick or injured, call the New York Stranding Hotline at 631-369-9829 and speak with trained biologists.
Lake George Elementary School Career Day – Warren County
In early March, Career Day at Lake George Elementary School in Warren County welcomed Lieutenant Higgins and ECO Brassard to speak to hundreds of students from the elementary school about the job duties of an Environmental Conservation Police Officer, including protecting the public and natural resources of New York State. The ECOs also educated students on the requirements to become an ECO. Young people in attendance earned raffle tickets for prizes by asking questions to the more than 25 professionals at the career fair and some students even dressed up in attire to match the profession to which they aspire.
To contact an ECO to report an environmental crime or to report an incident, call 1-844-DEC-ECOS for 24-hour dispatch or email (for non-urgent violations).
