Managing Agricultural, Wildlife, and Environmental Crimes Effectively
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Presentation Transcript
SEVENTEEN Agricultural, Wildlife and Environmental Crimes
LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Discuss the prevalence of timber theft • Explain agrichemical theft • Discuss cattle and horse rustling • Outline several methods of horse and cattle identification • Summarize measures to prevent rural and agricultural crimes • Distinguish between situational and professional poachers • Understand investigative techniques used in wildlife crimes • List and describe the characteristics of hazardous waste • Discuss methods of investigating environmental crimes 17-1
DIMENSIONS OF AGRICULTURAL, WILDLIFE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES • Ranchers, farmers, and others living in rural places are often the victims of thefts • Nationally, rustlers steal about 20,000 cattle worth $12.1 million • Our national parklands are also victimized by plant poachers • It must be observed that person who live in rural areas and on farms, groves, vineyards, and ranches not only are crime victims but are themselves occasional offenders 17-2
TIMBER THEFT • The U.S. Forest Service concedes that it doesn't know how much timer is stolen from national forests • The value may be as much as $100 million worth annually and the theft may amount to about 1 in every 10 trees cut down • Investigations into the illegal cutting of timber involve a full range of investigative techniques 17-3
BONE RUSTLERS • Unauthorized fossil hunters, who loot public and private lands • Unauthorized fossil hunters, who loot public and private land 17-4
AGRICHEMICAL • Any of various chemical products used on farms; includes pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides 17-5
THEFT OF AGRICHEMICALS • The theft of agrichemicals is a multimillion-dollar-per-year problem nationally • The exact type of agrichemical taken varies by geographic region, depending on what the predominant crop is • Distributors in particular have been vulnerable to the hijacking of trucks carrying agrichemicals, with resulting losses of $200,000 or more per incident • The investigator must become familiar with the legal supply channels and the principal agrichemicals that are used in his or her region • Some farmers will engage in the theft of agrichemicals or will readily purchase such commodities at “bargain prices” 17-6
LIVESTOCK AND TACK THEFT • Cattle Rustling • The majority of thefts are committed by one or two people who take the animal for their own use • Horse Rustling • More than 50,000 horses are stolen each year as compared to about 20,000 cattle • About 60 percent of the stolen horses end up in slaughter plants, where they are processed and sold as meat for human consumption in Europe and Japan • Tack Theft • Tack is equipment that is used with horses; the most common items are saddles, bridles, and horse blankets 17-7
LIVESTOCK IDENTIFICATION • In any livestock theft case one key to a successful prosecution is the positive identification of a specific animal as belonging to a particular owner • Hot‑Iron Branding • Hot-iron branding is a method of identification that has been used in this country for nearly 400 years • Ear Tags and Injectable Identification • Bar-code ear tags for cattle were an advancement for herd management 17-8(a)
LIVESTOCK IDENTIFICATION (cont'd) • Freeze Branding • Special freeze-branding irons are chilled using dry ice or liquid nitrogen and then applied to the hide • Earmarks • Earmarks are often used in conjunction with branding • DNA Profiles • DNA profiles of expensive horses and bulls are common as a theft deterrent 17-8(b)
CATTLE IDENTIFICATION FORM • Uniformed police officers often take the initial report of a livestock theft • These officers often have little knowledge of livestock • Forms such as the one shown are helpful to the officer in documenting livestock identifiers (Source: Courtesy Los Angeles County, California, Sheriff’s Department) 17-9
HORSE IDENTIFICATION FORM • This form serves the same purpose as the cattle identification form • Uniformed officers must receive training in the use of this form in order to use it effectively • Information captured on the form can greatly assist the identification process which is critical in a prosecution of livestock theft (Source: Courtesy Kern County, California, Sheriff’s Department) 17-10
BRANDS • On livestock, registered combinations of numbers, letters, marks and shapes that establish unique identifications 17-11
METHODS OF READING BRANDS • Brands are registered with different agencies in various states • Some are registered with state agencies • Others are registered with local courthouses 17-12
EXAMPLES OF CRIME PREVENTION MEASURES TO PROTECT AGAINST RURAL AND AGRICULTURAL CRIMES • Farm equipment theft • Participate in equipment identification programs • Do not learn equipment in remote fields • Timber theft • Post the property • Check to see if any timber has been cut 17-12(a)
EXAMPLES OF CRIME PREVENTION MEASURES TO PROTECT AGAINST RURAL AND AGRICULTURAL CRIMES (cont'd) • Agrichemical theft • Rural dealers should employ security personnel during months with large inventories • Be suspicious of persons offering unusually good buys on agrichemicals • Livestock or tack theft • All livestock should be marked for identification • Avoid leaving animals in remote pastures 17-13(b)
POACHING • The illegal taking or possessing of game, fish, and other wildlife 17-14
ELK KILLED FOR THRILLS • Situational poachers are motivated by opportunity and circumstance • Situational poachers killed the elk pictured as no attempt was made to retrieve the antlers or any meat • Professional poachers take more game than situational poachers and make more profit (Courtesy Wyoming Game and Fish Department) 17-15
INVESTIGATIVE TECHNIQUES USED IN WILDLIFE CRIMES • Information is an essential commodity in combating poachers • Uniformed wildlife officers patrol in boats and cars • Wildlife officers also employ intensive hunting patrols 17-16(a)
INVESTIGATIVE TECHNIQUES USED IN WILDLIFE CRIMES (cont'd) • Vehicle check stops are strategically set up • Fishing patrols check to see that no protected or endangered fish are being taken • In a common wildlife violation, nonresidents of a state claim residency, to pay less for licenses • Sometimes investigators must pose undercover to collect information 17-16(b)
ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME: THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK • There are roughly 18 major federal environmental laws that form the basis for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs • From this maze of laws three patterns of enforcement emerge • Acts over which only the federal government has jurisdiction • Acts for which there is concurrent federal and state jurisdiction • Acts for which there is unique state and/or local jurisdiction 17-17
HAZARDOUS WASTES • Solid, liquid, sludge, and manufacturing by-product wastes that are ignitable, corrosive, reactive, and/or toxic; may pose serious threat to human health and the environment if improperly managed 17-18
CHARACTERISTICS OF HAZARDOUS WASTES • The illegal dumping of hazardous wastes is a civil and criminal violation • Police personnel should have a general awareness of the characteristics of hazardous waste materials • When hazardous materials are encountered police should summon firefighters or hazardous materials disposal personnel (Source: Courtesy Environmental Protection Agency) 17-19
TSD CRIMES • Any illegal acts involving the treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous wastes 17-20
METHODS OF INVESTIGATING ILLEGAL DUMPING OF HAZARDOUS WASTES • Patrolling officers should be alert for signs that indicate the possibility or presence of illegal dumping of hazardous waste • Officers should approach suspected hazardous-waste spills and toxic-waste sites with the wind at their backs and from the highest ground reasonably available • Leads on illegal hazardous-waste sites may be offered by disgruntled or former employees occasionally by a current employee 17-21(a)
METHODS OF INVESTIGATING ILLEGAL DUMPING OF HAZARDOUS WASTES (cont'd) • Surveillance is an excellent tool for gathering information, as it can establish illegal practices and the person involved with them • For most environmental crimes, it is necessary to form a team to conduct the investigation 17-21(b)
