From boat patrols to bald eagle rescues, New York State Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) handled thousands of complaints and enforcement actions in the first half of 2025, reflecting their expanding role in protecting people, wildlife, and natural resources.
The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced that ECOs and investigators responded to more than 18,934 complaints between January and June, issuing 9,440 tickets or arrests for offenses ranging from illegal mining and emissions violations to wildlife crimes.
“DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officers…protect New York’s air, water, wildlife, and public safety,” said Commissioner Amanda Lefton. “I applaud the critical work DEC’s ECOs and Investigators are undertaking…to ensure a cleaner, greener, safer, and more resilient New York State.”
On July 6, ECOs on Great Sacandaga Lake led a multi-agency search for a missing swimmer near the Broadalbin boat launch. After darkness suspended the search, sonar equipment located the body the next morning. Officers also issued citations that weekend for operating watercraft while intoxicated, lacking safety certificates, and other violations.
In Suffolk County, the DEC dedicated a patrol vessel to the late Lieutenant Joseph Billotto during Montauk’s “Blessing of the Fleet.” Billotto, who died in January, served more than 29 years and was honored by family, colleagues, and the marine enforcement community.
Meanwhile, Long Island officers issued multiple citations for undersized and out-of-season fish, including porgies, tautog, black sea bass, and summer flounder. In one case, 94 undersized porgies were found on two boats, with the illegal haul later donated to a wildlife rehab center to feed raptors.
In Delaware County, ECO Osborne rescued a timber rattlesnake trapped in netting inside a garage. Osborne safely removed and released the threatened species, which is protected by state law.
In Schenectady County, ECOs responded to reports of an injured bald eagle at Lock 7 on the Mohawk River. The eagle was secured and transported to a wildlife rehabilitation center and is reportedly recovering well.
Other community efforts included a cadet training in Putnam County, a youth fishing clinic in Niagara County, and participation in the Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride in Suffolk County, which raised over $190,000 for veterans.
DEC officers also honored fallen NYPD Officer Didarul Islam during a funeral in the Bronx on July 31. ECOs were among the first responders during the deadly Midtown Manhattan shooting that took Islam’s life earlier in the week.
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