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.
“DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officers and Investigators from Brooklyn to Buffalo and beyond work around the clock to protect our environment, safeguard public health, and hold law breakers accountable,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “As DEC continues its efforts to build a Police force more reflective of the communities they serve, the public can rest assured that our Officers, in partnership with representatives of local, State, and federal law enforcement agencies, continue to enforce New York’s stringent Environmental Conservation Laws.”
Poaching in Friendship – Allegany/Niagara Counties
On Jan. 2, ECO Calanni received a complaint about a hunter who illegally took a deer a few days earlier during New York’s Holiday Deer Hunt in the town of Friendship. The complainant, who was hunting property he leases in the town, encountered a hunter dressed in full camouflage hiding in bushes next to a loaded shotgun and a freshly taken spike buck. Only bows, crossbows, and muzzleloaders are allowed for deer hunting during the late season. The two men got into a heated argument and the alleged poacher left the area with the deer when the complainant headed to his camp to call police. ECOs Calanni and Damrath interviewed multiple witnesses over the next two days. They tracked down both the mystery hunter and what was left of the deer on Jan. 4 in Niagara Falls, about 100 miles north of the poaching incident. ECO Calanni charged the hunter with two ECL misdemeanors and one violation. The subject faces more than $4,000 in potential fines and could lose his hunting privileges for up to five years.
Loaded shotgun discovered during poaching investigation in Allegany and Niagara counties
