Twenty-eight new officers join DEC's ‘Thin Green Line’

On September 4, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Police graduated 28 new officers from the 25th Basic School for Environmental Conservation Police Officers.

The ceremony was held for the first time ever in Albany. It took place at the New York State Convention Center at the Empire State Plaza and began with a rousing, choreographed entrance as the new officers marched, “piped in’ by the Division’s Pipe and Drum Band. That kicked off proceedings for the 28 ECOs who completed over six months of extensive law enforcement and natural resources training, both in the classroom and in the field.

DEC’s newest Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) will work in every single community across the state to protect our fish, wildlife, and the environment.

The first weeks of the ECO academy were primarily focused upon acquiring police skills, including physical training, drill and ceremony, and law enforcement procedures. The recruits went on to complete a total of nearly seven months of challenging instruction. It included firearms training, defensive tactics, emergency vehicle operation, and techniques to combat poaching and pollution, among a myriad other skills.  

"Our newest ECO class should be proud of completing this intensive and specialized training program to join one of the most dedicated police forces in the state,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said. “I am honored to welcome our new officers to DEC to stop polluters, poachers, and other environmental crimes, while also connecting and engaging with the residents they serve to ensure a cleaner, safer, and more resilient New York." 

Over the past six months, the ECO recruits completed more than 1,000 hours of training at DEC’s Police Academy in Pulaski, in Oswego County, which has served as their police training grounds for decades.

In a heartfelt, personal address to the 28 graduates, Lefton said, “You are now part of the proud legacy of the ‘Thin Green Line.’ The oldest state police agency in New York, created at a time when poaching was uncontrolled, and pollution and degradation of our environment was rampant. Your heritage is their protection.”

She went on to say, “These 28 men and women chose the virtuous and noble path in the profound grace of doing good in their broad and ambitious mission. The first step in a long, amazing, and rewarding journey in the protection of our environment and the public.”

The Environmental Conservation Police Officer title, in the various forms of its evolution, is the oldest statewide enforcement job in New York State. Eight ‘Game Protectors’ were first appointed for service in 1880 and the proud history of the Division continues more than 140 years later.

DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement Director, Karen Przyklek, continued with poignant remarks and observations, noting that the graduates are “part of something bigger than themselves as they join an elite law enforcement organization that is so much more than protecting resources, it is protecting people.”

“The new officers have emerged from six months of rigorous training prepared to face a diverse workload of cases, in both general law enforcement and environmental law. Each day, our Officers field complaints and respond to calls where they enforce clean air and water regulations, support fish and wildlife laws, and protect New Yorkers from pollution. I'm eager for our new Officers to hit the ground running and continue the rich tradition of environmental protection that is a cornerstone of DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement,” said Przyklek.

Last year, ECOs and Investigators responded to more than 26,000 calls and worked on cases that resulted in nearly 11,600 tickets or arrests for violations ranging from deer poaching to solid waste dumping, illegal mining, the black-market pet trade, and excessive emissions violations. 

Przyklek described their mission as one of service, and not merely one of enforcing laws. Referencing ECOs response to 9/11, Hurricane Irene, devastating flooding of Tropical Storm Sandy, and the 15-foot snow drifts of Buffalo’s “Snowmageddon,” she recalled.

“ECOs are always there at monumental moments that test us. You always were, and will continue to be where you needed to be,” she said.

The officers then collectively swore an oath to that end. The commencement closed as they were sent off with the benediction from Chaplin and retired ECO Bill Pitcher, who called upon a higher authority to, “commission them to accomplish their noble mission with integrity and strength.”

The new officers will now commence an extensive Field Training Program until their assignment to patrol sectors in one of nine DEC regions. From Montauk to Buffalo, from New York City to the Adirondacks, local ECOs serve as the first and last defense against poaching and pollution in our state. The aptly named, “Thin Green Line,” has just been bolstered by 28 enthusiastic, dedicated, new officers, ready and willing to take their turn in service of that storied tradition.

Please join me in congratulating the graduates of DEC’s 25th Basic School for ECOs: 

Suzanne Barzyz, Rockaway Park 

Martin Byrnes, Southold 

John Cobb, Ellisburg 

Michael Collis, North Babylon 

Tyler Crandall, Verona 

Nathan Crego, Martville  

Jeffrey Cubino, Marcy 

Matthew Dean, Hampton Bays 

Michael Flanagan, Wantagh 

Cole Gavin, Mantagh 

Eric Gessner, Mifflinburg, PA 

Kevin Henry, East Setauket 

Matthew Hulsen, Holbrook 

Nicholas Malone, Claryville 

Caroline Matuck, Paul Smiths 

Alexandre Meirhaeghe, Massapequa Park 

Matthew Nunziato, Niskayuna 

Steven Popp, Keene 

Nocholas Protan, Merrick

Shawn Sanner, Rock Tavern 

Kai Schedel, Brockport 

Peyton Schmitt, Harrisville 

Bret Shaffer, Cuba 

Perry Troisi, Goshen 

Michael Trupiano, Kings Park 

Aiden Watson, Levittown 

Ramiro Zapata, Smithtown 

Gary Zinzow, Cohoes  

Happy hunting, fishing, and trapping until next time!

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A resident of Durham, Larry is a retired captain with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

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