The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Division of Law Enforcement reported significant enforcement activity in the first half of 2025. Officers responded to more than 18,934 complaints and issued or made 9,440 tickets or arrests for violations such as deer poaching, illegal dumping, and excessive emissions. In all of 2024, the division handled over 30,109 complaints and issued 15,755 tickets or arrests.
“DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) and Investigators protect New York’s air, water, wildlife, and public safety, while also working to connect New Yorkers with the outdoors,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said. “As we tackle environmental threats on all fronts, I applaud the critical work DEC’s ECOs and Investigators are undertaking to enforce New York’s Environmental Conservation Law and ensure a cleaner, greener, safer, and more resilient New York State.”
Recent enforcement actions included two individuals pleading guilty to theft from a DEC facility in Schuyler County. In January 2025, investigators tracked stolen copper wire and brass fixtures to a local scrap yard. The suspects admitted their involvement and faced felony burglary and misdemeanor larceny charges. One received five years’ probation with $375 in fees; the other was sentenced to three years’ probation with $75 in fees.
In Saratoga County on October 29, an officer responded to an illegally hunted whitetail deer. The hunter lacked required tags and endorsements; the animal was confiscated as evidence and donated to Venison for Veterans and Seniors of Fulton and Montgomery counties.
A traffic stop in Steuben County on November 3 led to poaching charges after officers found illegally taken deer in a vehicle. Neither occupant had the proper hunting privileges or licenses.
On November 5, ECOs participated in an outreach event at Suffolk County Community College aimed at criminal justice students considering careers in environmental law enforcement.
In Niagara County on November 6, officers assisted with rescuing a deer trapped in a dry well. Working with local police and rescue teams, they safely released the animal.
The annual New York Women in Law Enforcement training conference took place in Syracuse from November 5–7. Members of DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement attended sessions focused on career development for women in policing.
Another Steuben County incident on November 8 involved an individual charged with multiple hunting violations after firing near a residence without proper licensing.
That same day in Saratoga County, officers investigated illegal road hunting after reports of gunfire from a vehicle. Two individuals were charged; the deer was donated to Venison for Veterans and Seniors—a group that received about 4,200 pounds of venison donations from hunters and law enforcement agencies in 2024.
In Sullivan County on November 18, officers responded when two yearling bears were accidentally caught by a legal trapper targeting bobcats. The animals were safely released following coordinated efforts between ECOs and the trapper. Regulations require trappers check their traps at least once every 24 hours to minimize harm.
ECOs conducted fishing compliance checks with federal partners around Brooklyn during October. On one patrol near Rockaway Reef, they cited a boat captain for having undersized tautog fish beyond legal limits under state commercial fishing rules. Other anglers received tickets for possessing shellfish from uncertified waters or exceeding possession limits for certain fish species.
An ECO patrolling Johnstown recently reunited a lost dog with its owner after finding it loose on the roadway.
Residents can report environmental crimes by calling DEC’s dispatch line at any time or emailing for nonurgent matters.
