The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recently announced the graduation of 28 new Environmental Conservation Police Officers from the agency’s 25th Basic School.
The new officers completed six months and more than 1,000 hours of training at DEC’s Academy in Pulaski, Oswego County. Training included physical fitness, firearms, emergency vehicle operation, environmental law, illegal dumping investigations, poacher identification and other law enforcement skills.
As members of DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement, the new ECOs will be assigned to patrol areas within the agency’s nine regions across New York. Their responsibilities include enforcing fish and wildlife laws, protecting air and water resources, investigating pollution and responding to a wide range of environmental violations.
Environmental Conservation Police Officers trace their history in New York back to 1880, when the state first appointed Game Protectors.
Last year, ECOs and investigators responded to more than 26,000 calls and handled cases resulting in nearly 11,600 tickets or arrests involving violations such as poaching, illegal dumping, illegal mining, black-market wildlife activity and excessive emissions.
