America’s conservation police: agencies in transition

Abstract

Examines the history of US conservation police agencies and notes how changes in social values and recreational activities have increased the demands for the protection of wildlife and other natural resources. This has led to the creation of departments of natural resources (DNRs). DNRs have placed an increasingly heavier burden on conservation police departments and have demanded a wider range of tasks and responsibilities of them. These more general policing tasks have, in turn, cast the formerly law enforcement-oriented conservation police into a more generalist police-like posture.

Deterring Defiance: 'Don’t Give a Poacher a Reason to Poach'

“…Conservation law enforcement agencies must pair this strategy with educational programs that promote ethical hunting and angling, proper techniques, and information on poaching's ecological harm. These strategies further relegate conservation officers to more generalist roles (Falcone 2004), reduce definitions favorable to criminal behavior, and increase informal social control among hunters, anglers and non-consumptive recreationalists (Heberlein 1991). Therefore generalist roles among game wardens may deter poaching more than exclusively relying upon conservation law enforcement.…”

“…Once, game wardens solely enforced the fish and wildlife laws/regulations intended to conserve natural resources and maintain a healthy ecological balance, but these officers are no longer specialized. They now provide generalist law enforcement services, and their responsibilities are akin to traditional police (Falcone 2004). In addition to fish and wildlife law enforcement, game wardens are now authorized to perform search and rescue, education through outreach, enforce recreational vehicle, motor vehicle, and watercraft laws, make arrests for and drug and alcohol violations, and ensure public safety (Chavez & Tynon 2000;Eliason 2011;Eliason 2007a;Eliason 2011;Filteau 2008;Pendelton 1996;O'Connor & Crow 2009;Sherblom et al 2002).…”

What’s in a Name? The Occupational Identity of Conservation and Natural Resource Oriented Law Enforcement Agencies

“…For example, this might include transit police, law enforcement support for housing authorities, campus police, and law enforcement related to natural resources, conservation, or fish and wildlife protection. Most of these specialized police agencies are generally understudied, though a handful of scholars have investigated conservation/natural resource agencies, their roles and policies, the nature and extent of their work, dangers of the job, discretionary decisions, and game wardens' different approaches to their craft (Blevins & Lanham, 2013;Crow, Shelley, & Stretesky, 2013;Eliason, 2007Eliason, , 2011Falcone, 2004;Forsyth, 1993Forsyth, , 1994Forsyth & Forsyth, 2012;Patten, 2012;Shelley & Crow, 2009). …”

“…Thus, one goal this research endeavor is to develop a more specific understanding of the occupational identity for these agencies. The second goal of this research is to explore an emerging concern in the existing literature about conservation/natural resource police agencies changing/expanding/transitioning their missions to include more traditional law enforcement functions that are typically performed by state, county and municipal police agencies (Benoit, 1973;Blevins & Lanham, 2013;Crow et al, 2013;Falcone, 2004;Shelley & Crow, 2009;Sherblom, Keranen, & Withers, 2002). The concern most often articulated is the institutional or social demands that require these agencies to perform general law enforcement duties may compromise the central missions of these special purpose agencies and potentially lead to less conservation, fewer environmental protections, and place vulnerable species at risk.…”

Conservation Officers: A Force Multiplier for Homeland Security

“…Such expanded responsibilities included, but are not limited to, drug and alcohol offenses, stolen firearms, stolen recreational vehicles, and subjects with outstanding warrants (Eliason, 2007). Furthermore, it has been found that conservation officers are becoming responsible for providing assistance to other police and law enforcement agencies and apprehending criminal suspects and escaped convicts (Falcone, 2004). These tasks go beyond the traditional purview of conservation officers and, when coupled with broad law enforcement jurisdiction that many conservation officers maintain, shift conservation officers closer to state and local police along the law enforcement continuum.…”