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.”

Illegal Bear Take – Schoharie County

A Schoharie County man is facing several charges for illegally hunting a bear in the town of Fulton. ECO Bevis first received a complaint on Oct. 13 about youth hunters afield without an adult in the immediate vicinity. Officer Bevis responded to the location with Schoharie County Deputy Glass, interviewed the youth, learned more information about the adult subject, and relayed that information to ECO Bohling for follow-up.  

A few days later on Oct. 20, ECO Burgess received a call from a complainant reporting the adult subject had taken a bear and posted pictures with the deceased animal on social media. Working with Deputy Glass, Officers Burgess and Bohling gathered more information, examined the bear carcass at a local processor, and discovered an incomplete tag.  

On Oct. 24, the Officers returned to where the bear was allegedly shot for a closer inspection and discovered cracked corn and sunflower seeds. Using pictures from social media to confirm the area, the ECOs managed to pinpoint exactly where the bear had been taken.  
 

The Officers drove to the subject’s residence, confronted him with the evidence, and the subject admitted to putting grain in front of several blinds prior to hunting. ECOs charged the individual with hunting bear over bait, illegally killing a bear, a tagging violation, and failure to properly supervise youth hunters. Tickets are returnable to the Town of Fulton Court.

ECOs Bohling and Burgess with illegally taken bear in Schoharie County (photo attached)

Sneaking a Buck – Suffolk County

On Oct. 16, ECO Kaufherr observed a vehicle parked next to a wooded area closed to hunting in the town of Smithtown. Officer Kaufherr suspected the vehicle may belong to a hunter and called ECOs DeRose and Perkins to assist. ECO Kaufherr encountered and interviewed the hunter while Officer DeRose deployed K9 KI (pronounced Kai) to track where the hunter had been. K9 KI eventually led ECOs DeRose and Perkins to a freshly killed, untagged eight-point buck that had been dragged into the woods adjacent to the road. The investigation is ongoing with potential charges for the hunter for trespassing, failure to immediately tag the harvested deer, and unlawfully killing a white-tailed deer.

ECO DeRose and K9 KI with unlawfully taken deer in Suffolk County (photo attached)

Tree Hugger – Suffolk County

On Oct. 27, ECOs DeRose and Perkins checked a tree stand in Suffolk County known for baiting and observed a hunter high in the tree, standing backward in his platform, appearing to hug the tree and avoid detection. The Officers escorted the hunter down and found him in possession of barbed broadheads, which are illegal to hunt with in New York State. ECOs ticketed the subject for hunting deer with the aid of a preestablished bait pile, placing salt, hunting with barbed broadheads, and failure to possess a signed hunting license.

Hunter attempts hugging a tree to avoid detection in Suffolk County (photo attached)

Out-of-State Baiter – Suffolk County

On Nov. 8, ECO McGhee checked a previously baited tree stand on State-managed lands in the town of Southampton and observed a hunter in the stand holding a compound bow. The Officer also noticed a large pile of freshly laid whole corn to the left of the stand and more corn spread throughout the area. ECO McGhee directed the hunter to come down from the tree. The hunter stated he was visiting from Virginia and did not have a New York hunting license. The subject’s brother in-law, hunting in the same woods at the time, admitted to participating in placing corn in the area in hopes of “seeing more deer.” ECO Simmons arrived to assist with issuing tickets to both subjects for hunting over a pre-established bait pile, non-resident hunting without a license, hunting without valid tags, and failure to comply with a regulatory sign. All tickets are returnable to Southampton Justice Court.

Out-of-state hunter caught illegally baiting in Suffolk County (photo attached)

Teddies for Happiness – Suffolk County

On Nov. 16, ECOs participated in the second annual “Teddies for Happiness” charity car show toy drive in the town of Centereach. Participants collected toys to donate to children at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, a local women’s shelter, and St. Cuthbert’s Episcopal Church Food Pantry, while simultaneously increasing community relations between law enforcement agencies and the public. Approximately 29 federal, State, and local agencies attended the toy-collecting event.

ECO McCarthy joins law enforcement professionals at “Teddies for Happiness” event in Suffolk County (photo attached)

Scarlet Service Fair – New Brunswick, New Jersey

On Nov. 18, ECOs Ableson and Keegan visited Rutgers University in New Jersey for the college’s Scarlet Service Fair. The job fair focuses on opportunities in federal, state, and not-for-profit sectors. The Officers answered questions from criminal justice and environmental studies students interested in becoming an ECO and start a hands-on, frontline career in environmental justice and natural resource protection.

ECO Ableson speaks to Rutgers University student about DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement (photo attached)

Statewide Fishing Compliance – Kings/Suffolk Counties

An alleged false impersonation and an out-of-state boat captain are two stories topping this week’s statewide ECO fishing compliance checks:  

• An angler known to ECOs Rappold and Kortz for multiple fishing violations in Brooklyn had to answer a month’s worth of violations accumulated while fishing from an unregistered inflatable boat. On the day the violator was expected in court, an unknown person arrived and claimed they received several notices to appear in court for fishing violations they did not commit. The subject claimed he wasn’t an angler and recently a victim of identity theft, with multiple credit cards opened in their name. ECO Kortz investigated and verified the individual’s story. Determined to hold the real culprit accountable, the Officer patrolled the fishing area in search of the illegal angler. ECOs Kortz and Keegan successfully identified the subject on board the same unregistered inflatable vessel during their patrol and confronted the defendant with the new evidence. The subject refused to cooperate and continued to use the false ID. Officer Kortz arrested the individual for false impersonation, as well as numerous fish and wildlife violations. The now positively identified subject was also ticketed for each violation committed with the false identity.
  

• On Nov. 13, a boat captain from Connecticut received a penalty following a trial in Southold Town Justice Court for illegally catching black sea bass in the Eastern Long Island Sound, Suffolk County, during New York’s closed season. Back on June 14, 2024, ECOs Simmons and Zullo observed the out-of-state vessel fishing for black sea bass during the closed season and stopped it just before it reentered Connecticut waters. The Officers inspected the boat and discovered 30 out-of-season black sea bass. The ECOs also determined the vessel was not registered in New York State as a party/charter boat as required for recreational fishing passengers to take fish outside the territorial waters of the state. ECO Zullo issued one ticket to the captain of the vessel for possessing 30 black sea bass out of season and another for operating without a charter permit. A judge found the defendant guilty of both charges at trial and ordered the subject to pay a total of $3,400 in fines.

• On Nov. 19, ECOs Pansini and Kortz of DEC’s Marine Enforcement Unit conducted a joint offshore fisheries patrol with officers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Law Enforcement. The patrol focused on enforcing speed restrictions to reduce the likelihood of collisions between vessels and the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Law Enforcement Officers did not observe any federal violations during the offshore patrol but checked a fleet of vessels fishing for striped bass when they re-entered State waters. One vessel checked had four anglers on board who possessed nine over-the-limit and undersized striped bass. In New York, one striped bass between 28 and 31 inches may be kept per person, per day. ECOs ticketed each angler for possessing too many striped bass, catching undersized striped bass, and failing to possess valid marine registries. The tickets are returnable to Kings County Criminal Court.

• On Nov. 25, ECOs DeVito and Zullo responded to a complaint in Montauk, Suffolk County, about a charter vessel catching and keeping illegal fish. The Officers and East Hampton Police Department inspected the vessel when it docked. They seized 107 illegal fish--67 illegal black sea bass and 40 illegal porgy--and issued 13 tickets to several anglers onboard the charter for a variety of offenses including taking undersized black sea bass and possessing over the limit of black sea bass and porgy. All tickets are returnable to the Town of East Hampton Justice Court.

ECOs Kortz and Keegan with illegal blackfish (tautog) caught from unregistered inflatable boat in Kings County (photo attached)

ECO Kortz with members of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement with nine illegally caught striped bass in Kings County (photo attached)

ECO DeVito with black sea bass and porgy caught illegally in East Hampton, Suffolk County (photo attached)

No Shave November

DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement (DLE) once again participated in No Shave November, a nationwide campaign that brings attention to men’s health issues, including cancer awareness. DLE members statewide were encouraged to use the month to improve their health through pre-screening for certain cancers and using sick leave to attend medical appointments. Some ECOs joined other law enforcement agencies in ditching the razors for the month of November, with a few parameters. Officers must keep beards and moustaches neat, clean, and well maintained and were prohibited from shaving designs in their facial hair, among other requirements.

ECOs in DEC Region 3 participate in No Shave November campaign to raise awareness for men’s health (photo attached)