DEC announces graduation of 26 new state ECOs

SYRACUSE — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar recently welcomed 26 new graduates from the 24th Basic School for New York State environmental conservation police officers (ECOs), including nearly a dozen grads from Central New York. As part of DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement, ECOs enforce the 71 chapters of New York’s Environmental Conservation Law that protect natural resources and public health. The ceremony, held in Syracuse, celebrated the graduates who successfully completed an intensive six-month law-enforcement training academy in the classroom and in the field. For the last six months, recruits were immersed in grueling training at the ECO training academy in Pulaski in Oswego County, the DEC said. The department’s Division of Law Enforcement trains recruits in conventional areas of law enforcement, such as criminal-procedure law and vehicle and traffic law, as well as specialized courses in the Environmental Conservation Law, wildlife identification, and wildlife forensics. The recruits also engaged in physical training, defensive tactics, firearms, and emergency-vehicle operations, among other courses. The 26 graduates will join the state’s force for a total of 290 ECOs statewide. Upon graduation, DEC assigns recruits to patrol areas across the state. In 2023, DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement ECOs and investigators responded to nearly 31,000 complaints. Cases resulted in almost 16,900 tickets or arrests for violations ranging from deer poaching to solid-waste dumping, illegal mining, and excessive emissions violations. The graduates of DEC’s 24th Basic School for ECOs include the following 11 from Central New York: • Mykaela Barrett — West Winfield, Herkimer County • Kevin Bayne — Horseheads, Chemung County • Hannah Bieber — Whitney Point, Broome County • Thomas Griffin — Liverpool, Onondaga County • Anna Heckler — Sodus, Wayne County • Keenan Holliday — Milford, Otsego County • Juthamas Kraiprasert — Auburn, Cayuga County • Jayson Maxwell — Newport, Herkimer County • Bryan Noble — Canton, St. Lawrence County • Thomas Nolan — Westmoreland, Oneida County • Mitchell Seabury — Manlius, Onondaga County “I congratulate this new class of New York State ECOs for enduring a demanding training regimen to join one of the most elite police forces in the nation,” Interim Commissioner Mahar said in a DEC statement. “As these new Officers begin their careers, I am confident they will each carry on the rich legacy of protecting New York’s natural resources and public health and safety by holding lawbreakers accountable for environmental crimes and making a positive difference in communities across the state.”