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.”  

Snowmobile Checkpoint – Warren County 

On February 28, ECOs Krug, Manns, Newell, and Nicols partnered with the Warren County Sheriff’s snowmobile unit to conduct recreational vehicle checkpoints in the Village of Lake George during the Lake George Winter Carnival which ran for five weekends from February 7 to March 8. ECOs issued 24 tickets for a variety of offenses including unregistered All-Terrain-Vehicles (ATVs), unregistered and uninsured snowmobiles, failure to wear helmets on ATVs and snowmobiles, and unlawful exhaust alterations. DEC Officers also assisted the Sheriff’s Office in handling a snowmobile operator suspected of driving while intoxicated and rolling his snowmobile in front of the officers. All tickets were returnable to the Town of Lake George Court. 

ECOs partner with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office to set up snowmobile checkpoints in Lake George, Warren County (photo attached) 

Bull on the Loose – Essex County 

On March 1, while on patrol on Route 22 in the Town of Ticonderoga, ECO McCarthy observed a bull loose near the roadway. Officer McCarthy first used his patrol vehicle to block traffic and then used a boat line as a lasso to assist the owner in guiding the bull back to pasture. The Officer and owner successfully collared the animal and returned it to its pasture. There’s no word on how the bull got loose in the first place, but all commended the quick-thinking ECO on his impromptu cowboy skills. 

A bull runs loose in the Town of Ticonderoga, Essex County (photo attached) 

A bull escapes its pasture in the Town of Ticonderoga, Essex County (photo attached) 

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