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 2024, the Division of Law Enforcement fielded more than 105,717 calls, resulting in Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) and Investigators across the state responding to more than 30,109 complaints and working on cases that resulted in 15,755 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 (ECOs) and Investigators protect New York’s air, water, wildlife, and public safety, while also working to connect New Yorkers with the outdoors,” Commissioner Amanda Lefton said. “As we tackle environmental threats on all fronts, I applaud the critical work DEC’s ECOs and Investigators are undertaking to enforce New York’s Environmental Conservation Law and ensure a cleaner, greener, safer, and more resilient New York State.”
Snake in the House – Delaware County
On May 24, ECO Osborne responded to reports of a snake inside a residence in the town of Kortright, Delaware County. Officer Osborne, a member of DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement Wildlife Response Team, arrived at the home and observed a three-foot-long milk snake in the living room. The Officer safely removed and relocated it back into the wild away from the residence. The eastern milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum), a non-venomous snake native to the northeast, is often mistaken for a rattlesnake due to the light and dark blotches on its skin and rapid shake of its tail when approached by a potential predator.
Get Outdoors and Get Together – Nassau County
On June 14, ECOs Francis, Ruffle, and Smith participated in the New York State Parks “Get Outdoors and Get Together Day” at Hempstead Lake State Park in Nassau County. Celebrations were held across the State for the annual event encouraging people of all ages, abilities, identities, and backgrounds to get together with family and friends for outdoor fun at DEC facilities and State Park lands as part of Governor Hochul’s “Get Offline, Get Outside” initiative.
ECOs who attended the Nassau County event spoke to many members of the public interested in DEC law enforcement job duties, and some Officers joined New York State Park Police in holding an albino boa constrictor from Uncle Tony’s Reptile Shack.