PROPOSAL: MANDATORY MINIMUM CONSERVATION OFFICER STAFFING 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: 

Section 1. Section 26-5 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof: 

Appointment of conservation officers, special conservation officers and patrolmen. The Commissioner of Environmental Protection shall appoint and maintain a minimum of seventy -five sworn conservation officer personnel [such number of conservation officers as may be necessary] for the efficient execution of the duties of the department under section 26-6. The commissioner may supplement the regular conservation officer force by appointing as special conservation officer or as patrolman any employee of the department. Each conservation officer, special conservation officer or patrolman shall complete a police training course at the state police training school or an equivalent course approved by the Commissioner of Public Safety. Special conservation officers and patrolmen shall be entitled to the same benefits to which conservation officers are entitled under the provisions of section 5-142; and such an appointment shall be deemed not to be in conflict with any of the provisions of chapter 67. In addition to their salaries, conservation officers, special conservation officers and patrolmen shall be reimbursed for all expenses incurred in performance of official duty. 

• During the last decade DEP Law Enforcement manpower levels have suffered significantly.
• Concurrently, previously separate specialized elements (Park Police, Marine Patrol, and Conservation Officers) have been combined into one element now called Environmental Police, with a serious loss of expertise due to multiple roles.
• Current procedure is to shift the remaining officers to seasonal roles (Hunting in the Fall/Spring, Fishing year round, Boating in Spring/Summer, Parks during the season) and assign officers to extensive areas consisting of  8-14 municipalities.
• A significant increase has taken place in numbers of Registered boats, Regulated hunting areas, Acreage owned by the state, Fishing management program areas, and Park attendance. Both hunting and fishing license holders are, however, decreasing. Enforcement must address both public participation and landmass.
• Expansion of other police duties (drugs, homeland security, motor vehicle profiling, ATV, shellfish, and increased specialized training requirements, etc.) has further reduced their current conservation law enforcement.
• In the past decade (1992-2002), DEP law enforcement has increased from 52 to 61, with a low of 51 in 1998 to a high of 62 in 2001. Due to recent lay-offs and retirements, the current number is 51 with expected retirements of 2-3 soon.
• There is great concern among outdoor enthusiasts that the conservation law enforcement division is not capable of adequately enforcing current law. The continued depletion of officers also significantly impacts upon other DEP conservation/recreational supportive elements through complaints, questions, lawsuits, and promotes legislative actions that may have been avoided.
• Without immediate or phase-in of DEP officers to a minimum staffing level, conservation/recreational law enforcement will continue to decrease both in personnel numbers and achievement.