Environmental Conservation Police on Patrol

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 2025, DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement fielded an estimated 101,169 calls, resulting in Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) and Investigators across the state responding to more than 35,575 complaints and working on cases that resulted in 15,673 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 enforce New York’s Environmental Conservation Law to ensure the protection of public safety and our vast natural resources, including air, water, wildlife, and New York’s one-of-a-kind outdoor spaces,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said. “This highly specialized and rewarding work is instrumental to upholding our stringent laws and making the great outdoors safe and enjoyable for everyone.” 

Illegal Burns – Ulster and Sullivan Counties 
ECOs in Ulster and Sullivan counties recently responded to incidents involving violations of New York’s burn ban. 

On March 30, ECOs received a request from the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office for assistance with a large structure fire in the Town of Esopus. An illegal outdoor burn quickly spread to structures and vehicles on the property and scorched several acres. The property owner received tickets for the unlawful burn and is scheduled to appear in the Town of Esopus Court to answer the charges. Multiple fire departments, EMS, and Ulster County Fire Investigators also responded to the fire. 

On April 1, while conducting opening day trout season patrols in Sullivan County, Lieutenant Buckley observed an illegal open burn in progress. He and an ECO who assisted with the investigation ticketed the subject for unlawfully burning construction debris.  

The public is reminded that New York’s burn ban is in effect from March 16 through May 14 due to increased risk of wildfires. Burning construction debris is prohibited year-round. 

Fire and Fishing – Orange and Rockland Counties 
ECOs Boettcher, Boyes, Falkengren, and Steffen recently conducted enforcement details in Orange and Rockland counties with a focus on striped bass fishing and assisting State Park Police with unlawful fire enforcement on State lands.  

Officers interacted with 98 anglers over two days and covered a 35-mile stretch of the west banks of the Hudson River coastline, between the Newburgh Beacon Bridge and Piermont Pier.  

DEC issued approximately 30 tickets for offenses including failure to possess a valid marine registry or freshwater fishing license, failure to use inline circle hooks, and possession of undersized fish. ECOs confiscated six striped bass from anglers that were shorter than New York’s slot limit of 23-28 inches for anglers fishing in the Hudson River, north of the George Washington Bridge.  

In addition to the fishing violations, five groups of anglers were found to have set unlawful campfires during New York’s annual burn ban that runs from March 16 – May 14. The fires were either set unlawfully or uncontained.  

ECOs also took the opportunity to connect with the public and provide information about license and bait procurement and using DEC’s HuntFish NY app and administered first aid for minor cuts and scrapes.

Bike Patrols – Westchester/Sullivan Counties 
ECOs Franz and Schuck conducted numerous bike patrols along the Hudson River and throughout Westchester County in recent weeks on newly issued E-bikes.  

On April 4 and 12, the Officers checked striped bass anglers along the river and issued several tickets for offenses including possession of oversized and undersized fish, failure to use proper hooks while fishing for striped bass, and license violations.  

On April 15, ECOs Franz and Schuck conducted bike patrols in the Town of Mount Pleasant that led to pesticide enforcement. The Officers spoke to several landscaping companies doing business in residential areas and issued two tickets: one for operating an unregistered pesticide business and another for failure to have pesticide decals affixed to a transport vehicle.  

ECOs attribute the high level of overall compliance to proactive measures taken by DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement throughout the area in recent years focused on compliance with New York’s pesticide regulations. 

ECOs in Westchester and Sullivan counties traveled several miles on E-bikes for various patrols in April, reducing emissions and improving community policing. Officers also credit E-bikes with allowing them to better navigate and access difficult terrain and observe more than they may be able to in a patrol vehicle.  

A Conservation Campout – Orange County  
On April 11, ECOs Falkengren and Steffen joined the West Point Conservation Officers at the 62^nd annual West Point Scoutmasters’ Council Camporee held at the Lake Frederick Outdoor Recreation Center. The event drew Scouts of all ages interested in environmental conservation. Participants questioned ECOs about their daily job duties, experiences working outdoors, and environmental enforcement. The program is hosted and organized by the Scoutmasters’ Council and is a weekend campout on Academy property with displays, competitions, and demonstrations.  

Cleanup Efforts – Erie County 
ECOs in Erie County got a jump start on Earth Week with a series of cleanup initiatives.  

On April 11, Officers joined the Erie County Trappers Association for their annual “Adopt-A-Highway” cleanup. ECOs and the young trappers collected 28 bags of roadside garbage and one discarded tire along a two-mile stretch of Route 39 in Springville. This was the fourth year in a row DEC Region 9 ECOs joined the Trappers Association for the cleanup. 

On April 17, Investigator Holzle and ECO (K9) Wozniak assisted DEC’s Sustainability Committee with a DEC-hosted cleanup event at Ralph Wilson Park in the City of Buffalo. They collected several bags of trash to help leave the area cleaner than it was when they arrived. 

Youth Conservation – Suffolk County 
On April 11 and 12, DEC’s Hunter Education Program held its 2026 Youth Conservation Program at Peconic River Sportsman’s Club in Manorville. During the two-day course, the participants, ages 12 to 16, completed their Hunter Education Training and learned the importance of being a safe and ethical hunter. ECOs from across DEC Region 1 assisted with instruction and gave the young participants invaluable hands-on experiences, including learning to follow a blood trail, safe firearms handling, and navigating through the woods with a compass. DEC’s Hunter Education Program, the New York State Conservation Officers Association, and the Peconic River Sportsman’s Club have been part of this successful program for more than 30 years, educating young conservationists and the next generation of hunters. 

Spider Monkey Illegally Kept as Pet – Erie County 
On April 14, DEC Bureau of Environmental Crimes Investigators in Erie County responded to a report about an individual in possession of a spider monkey at a home on Grand Island. Investigators identified a subject who lived at the residence and confirmed the monkey was there. The individual acknowledged that she could no longer care for the animal and gave it up to Investigators who transported it to a licensed primate sanctuary. 

DEC checked in with the licensed sanctuary and learned the spider monkey had a broken right wrist and a case of rickets, likely due to a poor diet and lack of veterinary care. The animal is still being cared for at the primate sanctuary. 

Spider monkeys are illegal to possess as pets in New York State and DEC does not issue licenses for primates as pets.  

Multi-agency Swift Water Training – Warren and Oneida Counties 
On two separate weekends in April, ECOs participated in multi-agency swift water training exercises. 

From April 14-16, ECOs on the Flood Incident Response Strike Team participated in mobilization training on the Schroon and Hudson Rivers in Warren County. The multi-agency training, hosted by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES), focused on swift water swimming, throw bag use, rope skills, inflatable boat operation, and animal rescue techniques. Additionally, DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement’s Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) team was deployed at various locations during the training and tasked with testing remote area connectivity to the command post and monitoring the safety of the participants. This training is a valuable tool for increasing team preparedness and improving inter-agency operability for future flooding incidents and swift water rescue situations. New York State Police, Forest Rangers, and New York State Park Police also participated in the training. Aerial footage of the training can be viewed on YouTube. 

On April 22 and 23, seven ECOs on the Flood Incident Response Strike Team participated in in-service training at the Swift Water Flood Training facility at the State Preparedness Center in Oriskany, also hosted by DHSES. In addition to swimming, wading, and rope skills, the team-based exercises focused on breaching techniques, Search & Rescue Common Operating Platform (SARCOP) utilization, and structure-marking systems. Other participating teams included the New York City Police Department’s Emergency Service Unit, Montgomery Pennsylvania Urban Search and Rescue Team, and Monroe County Special Operations Task Force. 

Trout Stocking – Sullivan and Franklin Counties 
On April 15, ECOs in Sullivan County, a world-renowned trout fishing destination, assisted staff from the DEC Catskill State Fish Hatchery with stocking brown trout in Willowemoc Creek. The group began in the Hamlet of Roscoe and distributed approximately 3,470 brown trout, including yearling and two-year-old fish, across multiple sections of the creek. 

Willowemoc Creek is one of the Catskill region’s most celebrated trout streams, drawing anglers from across New York State and beyond.  

More than 200 miles away in Franklin County, ECOs Garrand and Okonuk joined DEC Fisheries staff and volunteers from the Malone Fish and Game Club to stock nearly 2,000 trout in the Little Salmon River in northern Franklin County, also a premier trout fishing destination in New York.  

Trout season opened in New York State on April 1, but stocking continues statewide as DEC works to provide fresh opportunities for anglers to enjoy quality fishing.  

Anglers are reminded that a valid New York State fishing license is required. For more details on trout season, visit the DEC website.

Twice in One Night – Nassau County  
On the night of April 16, ECOs Franz and Pabes responded to reports of anglers keeping over their legal limit of striped bass at Hempstead Harbor on Long Island. The Officers called in ECO DeRose and K9 Finn to assist with the investigation due to the lack of light. ECOs Franz and Pabes checked the large group of anglers while Officer DeRose and K9 Finn searched the thickly wooded area near their fishing location. K9 Finn detected an oversized striped bass hidden nearby and alerted ECO DeRose. An angler in the group admitted to catching the oversized striped bass and received a ticket. The legal size limit for recreational striped bass in Nassau County (marine waters south of the George Washington Bridge) is 28 to 31 inches. The ECOs escorted the group back to a nearby parking lot and were preparing to leave the area when they observed a black pickup truck parked strangely off to the side in the lot, almost hidden. They investigated and discovered the driver of the pickup truck was the same individual ticketed for the oversized fish found hidden in the woods. The subject was in possession of four striped bass, which is over the daily limit of one fish per person. ECOs issued a second ticket to the angler for possessing more than the daily limit of striped bass.  

ECOs ticketed a second angler in a separate case that night for catching and keeping a striped bass over the legal size limit.  

Youth Outreach - Suffolk County 
On April 21 and 23, ECO DeRose presented to young children at DEC’s Long Island office on the role Environmental Conservation Police Officers play in protecting human health and New York’s environment. The presentation occurred during DEC’s “Take Your Child to Work Day.” After a brief overview of his job duties, Officer DeRose demonstrated, using his K9 partner, Finn, how DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement utilizes its K9 Unit to help enforce Environmental Conservation Law.  

To contact an ECO to report an environmental crime or incident, call 1-844-DEC-ECOS for 24-hour dispatch.