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.

 

“Environmental Conservation Police Officers and Investigators serving in DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement are working tirelessly across the state to protect natural resources and public safety while holding poachers and polluters accountable,” DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said. “DEC looks forward to continuing to work with our local, State, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure compliance with New York’s stringent environmental conservation laws and promote the safe and responsible enjoyment of the outdoors.”

 

Not Quick to Admit – Cayuga County

On Nov. 10, ECO Prentice stopped a known deer poacher as the subject transported an untagged deer on an ATV in the town of Throop. The subject claimed he had taken the deer with a crossbow despite evidence it had been shot with a shotgun. Officer Prentice eventually located a loaded 16-gauge shotgun nearby and issued four tickets to the individual, including two misdemeanors for unlawfully killing a deer and taking deer by means not specified (wrong implement).

 

Year-Long Poaching Investigation Ends in Arrests and Conviction – Greene County

On Nov. 16, 2024, ECOs ended a year-long investigation with the apprehension of two New Jersey residents suspected of illegally taking a deer in the front yard of a residence in the town of Lexington.

 

In November 2023, ECOs Palmateer and Smith responded to complaints from a homeowner who reported receiving an alert on his ring camera that captured a deer being shot and collapsing in his driveway. The surveillance video also showed two subjects back a black pick-up truck into the driveway before they finished killing the animal, loading it into the truck, and driving away.

 

Lieutenant Glorioso, along with ECOs Palmateer, Smith, and Hameline used several investigative techniques in the following months to narrow the subject vehicle down to a pick-up truck registered to a subject residing in New Jersey.

 

On Nov. 16, opening day of the 2024 Southern Zone regular firearms season, Officers Palmateer and Smith located the suspect’s vehicle parked along a roadway at a public hunting property in the town of Lexington. Officers followed the vehicle back to a nearby hunting camp where they identified the driver as the same individual in the ring camera video. The Officers then found the other subject at the hunting camp.

 

The subjects, both residents of New Jersey, admitted to illegally shooting and killing the deer from the roadway the previous year. ECOs charged the pair with possessing a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, taking a deer from a public roadway, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, illegally killing a white-tailed deer, and failing to properly tag the deer. Officers discovered an untagged seven-point buck at the hunting camp, which also resulted in another charge for failing to tag deer as required by law.

 

On Nov. 22, 2024, both subjects pleaded guilty in the Town of Lexington Court and paid fines totaling $2,500. DEC thanks New Jersey Conservation Police and the New York State Police Forensic Multimedia Service Unit for assisting in this investigation.

 

Illegal deer poaching captured on doorbell camera in Greene County, November 2023 (photo attached)

 

Road Check Leads to Illegal Deer – Onondaga County

On Nov. 17, ECOs stopped a truck carrying a deer carcass and a cooler full of meat in its bed during a road check in the town of Cicero. The driver told Officers he had cut up the deer for a friend and was given half the meat for his services. ECOs noticed quickly that neither the carcass nor the meat contained a tag or note from the taker as required by law and directed the driver to contact the friend to have that individual send a photo of the tag. The friend failed to provide the information requested and did not have a hunting license. ECO Thomas ticketed the driver for transporting a deer without a note from the taker and ticketed the friend for hunting big game without a license and illegally taking a deer.

 

Montezuma Songbirds – Cayuga County

On Nov. 18, ECO Sincebaugh encountered a group of individuals hunting at Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management Area in the town of Montezuma. The hunters claimed to be pheasant hunting but after a brief interview and quick search, the Officer located a plastic bag with four immature red winged black birds. Two of the hunters also failed to possess hunting licenses. ECO Sincebaugh issued three tickets for unlawfully killing protected songbirds and two for hunting without a license.

 

Illegal Dumping – Putnam County

On Nov. 29, ECOs Franz and Schuck observed solid waste discarded on the side of a road in the village of Brewster while on patrol. During an investigation, the Officers discovered a piece of mail with a name and address from Bedford. ECO Franz searched the town database for the address and found a proposed building permit and contractor for proposed work at the location. Officer Franz contacted the homeowner the next day who confirmed the contractor’s son admitted to illegally dumping debris material from a work truck instead of using the wood to build a fire. ECOs Franz and Schuck met the contractor and the son at the dump site, issued the pair a ticket for illegal dumping, and supervised the cleanup of the discarded material.

 

Construction waste dumped illegally in Putnam County (photo attached)

 

“It’s not too much” – Queens County

On Dec. 3, ECO Milliron spotted a black SUV backed into a wooded area known for illegal dumping off Cross Bay Boulevard in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. The Officer noticed the back hatch open and observed an individual removing objects from the vehicle and dumping trash into the woods. ECO Milliron blocked the vehicle with his police cruiser and observed additional cement demolition debris inside the vehicle, ready to be unloaded. Caught in the act, the subject admitted to the illegal activity saying, “It’s not too much.” Officer Milliron issued a ticket to the subject for the unlawful disposal of solid waste, returnable to Queens County Court. U.S. Park Police also responded because the alleged crime occurred at a federal wildlife refuge and charged the subject with additional federal charges. The man’s vehicle was also towed.

 

Big Buck Taken Illegally – Fulton/Montgomery Counties

On Dec. 5, ECOs Manns, Paschke, Bohling, and Bevis responded to multiple reports that a buck, well known to hunters in Fulton and Montgomery counties over the years due to its large size and recognizable set of antlers, had been taken illegally from a roadway. Acting on several tips from the hunting community about where and when the deer was taken, the Officers investigated all locations in both counties in search of evidence. They also conducted several interviews which ultimately led to a subject in the village of Fultonville.

 

On Dec. 7, ECOs Bohling and Bevis interviewed the subject who admitted to shooting the buck at a specific location. The suspect also offered to take the Officers to where the animal was hanging.

 

ECO Manns received permission from a landowner to check the property given by the hunter and determined the subject was not being truthful about where he took the deer.

 

Once pressed further by ECOs, the subject confessed to illegally shooting and killing the deer from Old Johnstown Road in the village of Fonda while the deer was feeding in a pumpkin patch at approximately 12:30 a.m.

 

ECOs charged the individual with the illegal take of deer (misdemeanor), shooting on/from a roadway (misdemeanor), hunting outside of legal hours (violation), and Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) trespass. All tickets are returnable to Mohawk Town Court.

 

ECOs Manns, Bohling, and Bevis with large buck taken illegally in Montgomery County (photo attached)

 

Buck Taken Over Bait – Greene County

On Dec. 7, ECO Palmateer responded to a complaint about subjects at a hunting camp illegally feeding deer in the town of Prattsville. Officer Palmateer arrived at the location and noticed drops of blood in the snow while interviewing the property owner who admitted to placing corn in the area to feed the deer and shooting a buck at the location the previous afternoon. The property owner relayed that he then transported the deer carcass to a butcher shop in the town of Catskill. Lieutenant Glorioso headed to the butcher shop to confirm the story while ECO Palmateer interviewed the subject further. Before long, the subject admitted to Officer Palmateer that the deer he shot over the bait the day before was his second buck of the year and that he had put his daughter’s tag on it. In New York, hunters are permitted to take one buck during the big game regular rifle season. Lieutenant Glorioso observed both bucks at the butcher shop and seized the second one as evidence. Officer Palmateer ticketed the subject for using the tags of another, taking over the limit of white-tailed deer, hunting with the aid of pre-established bait, and the illegal take of white-tailed deer. Tickets are returnable to the Town of Prattsville Court, and the seized deer was brought to a local butcher shop that participates in a venison donation program.

 

University Outreach – Suffolk County

On Dec. 9, ECOs Dickson and Anderson accepted a request to speak to an ecology class at St. Joseph’s University’s Long Island campus. The class included students majoring in biology and/or criminal justice. The ECOs spoke to students about their careers in law enforcement and explained that many Officers have a background in biology and environmental science. The Officers told the students about the many tasks of the position and how they routinely assist DEC fish and wildlife employees as part of their duties. The Officers also described the challenging yet rewarding steps to becoming an ECO in New York State.

 

ECOs Dickson and Anderson attend outreach event at St. Joseph’s University in New York City (photo attached)

 

Sampling Training – Statewide

The DEC Division of Law Enforcement’s Sampling Team recently participated in specialized training at locations across the state. The Sampling Team was established to ensure evidentiary samples are collected safely in hazardous environments and protected to ensure they remain viable when used in prosecuting environmental crimes. Twenty-eight members, including Officers from DEC’s Special Operations Group, attended the Advanced Sampling Training courses at DEC properties in Avon, Lowville, Delmar, and Wappingers. Once suited up in their protective gear, members participated in an agility course and then practiced safe sample collections. Participants were evaluated on their sampling techniques, documentation, packaging, and ability to follow procedures when involved in a sampling event.

 

ECOs participate in statewide sampling training courses in Avon, Lowville, Delmar, and Wappingers (photo attached)

 

Fishing Compliance Checks – Queen/Richmond/Nassau Counties

Untagged tautog and undersized striped bass are among the cases ECOs handled in this week’s statewide fishing compliance checks:

• On Nov. 21, ECOs Currey, Keegan, Rappold, and Veloski teamed up with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) law enforcement officers to inspect seafood wholesalers to ensure proper size, tags, and sanitary conditions of regulated seafood. ECOs Currey and Rappold inspected a grocery store in Queens and discovered 19 untagged tautog (blackfish). Blackfish are highly regulated species and require a tag when caught and sold in New York for commercial purposes. ECOs ticketed the store for offering untagged tautog for sale.
  

• On Dec. 3, ECOs Farner and Clinger received a complaint about an individual taking fish illegally at Breezy Point in Queens County. The Officers approached the angler when he returned to his vehicle, but the subject was not in possession of any visible fish, just a backpack with a strong fish odor. The ECOs searched the area and discovered a bag approximately 100 yards from the parking lot and hidden in some woods that contained six undersized striped bass. As the Officers were leaving the area, they observed the subject’s car driving back to the fishing access site. They followed his vehicle and caught the subject searching in the woods for the bag the Officers had retrieved. ECOs ticketed the subject for possession of over-the-limit and undersized striped bass. The six striped bass ranged from 17 and 25 inches. The allowable catch limit for striped bass in marine waters is one per day between 28 and 31 inches.
  

• On Dec. 5, ECOs Farner and Clinger observed four anglers catching striped bass and quickly putting the fish into bags and coolers in Richmond County. The Officers approached the anglers and discovered 35 undersized striped bass. ECOs issued a total of eight tickets for possession of over-the-limit and undersized striped bass, returnable to Richmond County Court.
  

• On Dec. 7, ECO DeRose observed a vessel with five people on board not wearing personal flotation devices in Nassau County. ECOs stopped the vessel and discovered the individuals standing in ankle deep water with five floating striped bass surrounding them. Of the five fish on board, two were outside the legal limit. ECOs issued tickets to two anglers for possession of striped bass outside the legal limit and cited the captain for failure to wear life jackets between Nov. 1 and May 1. Officers also gave the group a verbal warning for failing to possess proper safety equipment. Tickets are returnable to Nassau First District Court.
  

Illegal tautog (blackfish) discovered at grocery store in Queens County (photo attached)

 

Undersized striped bass caught illegally at Breezy Point in Queens County (photo attached)

 

ECOs Farner and Clinger seize 35 illegally caught striped bass in Richmond County (photo attached)

 

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).