Environmental Police Officer - A Day in the Life Part 2

In the Fall 2011 issue of the magazine I posted the article, "Environmental Police Officer - A Day in the Life". It was derived from a ride-along I was able to take with the Department of Environmental Management (DEM). The ride-along was in the beginning of October when hunting season was just getting started here in RI. I learned a great deal and we had a fairly active afternoon in spite of the low hunting activity in the area. We did not have much interaction with hunters as a result however, so I was invited to come back for another ride-along when shotgun season was in full swing. An offer I gladly accepted and resulted in this... part 2. I was not able to capture many pictures this time unfortunately due to the privacy nature of the encounters.

Saturday, December 10^th I met up once again with Michael DiPietro, an Environmental Police Officer (EPO) with the Rhode Island DEM. I followed him to his house to park my car and he took the time to show me around before we headed out. We spent some time catching up, swapping hunting stories of course, and discussing how things had been going since the last ride-along. This was the second weekend of shotgun season so he shared with me some of the events of the previous week. Opening weekend was a busy one it seems. There are areas that the EPOs know are hot spots for possible infractions, places near conservation areas, or private lands that typically have trespassers. There are those spots that just seem to draw those willing to cross the lines. This year was no different. Michael shared with me how he had gone in to check an area he knew well that had several stands but bordered a conservancy area. A conservancy area is one typically owned by a non-profit organization that puts the area into a preservation status. These areas, unless in a co-op with the state DEM, are generally off limits to hunting and fishing, and many other activities. As most hunters know, these areas are prime spots to hold deer and game. Game animals are not stupid… they know to go where they are least pressured. Unfortunately, not all hunters have the ethics of respecting those areas however. This particular day, Michael found what he was looking for. As he approached he spotted a hunter who had gotten down from his stand and began to walk the woods. Closer and closer to the stone that marked the boundary line, the hunter wandered through. Eventually the hunter slipped the wall and began walking through the conservancy. Michael passed down lower hoping to confront the hunter when he heard a shot. Like any one of us smart enough to, he hit the deck and evaluated the situation. The shot wasn’t at him, so he cautiously approached the hunter. He learned that the hunter had taken a shot at a deer but was not certain of the hit. Michael, looking with the hunter, found the blood trail. It was watery. Knowing that is often consistent with a gut shot, Michael suggested they give the animal time to expire. He took the hunter back to his vehicle and after some discussion, and education, the hunter conceded his position and what had happened. After administering a fine for being on land without written permission, which carried a weight of $100, they went back to the woods to look for the deer. It would have been easy to just issue the fine and move on to the next area to check for violators. But not wanting to see any deer go wasted, Michael went back in to help find the downed deer, which was located and went for a good use.

Michael also shared with me an approach he made based on a truck parked near a section of woods he was familiar with. Knowing the owner does not often allow hunters it was an immediate flag to check further. Entering the woods, as suspected, he found a hunter. The hunter was not wearing any orange… another flag of course that something isn’t being done ethically. After approaching the hunter and the hunter coming down from the stand, discussion also showed the hunter had no form of written permission to be on the property. Michael allowed the hunter to try and call the landowner for confirmation because he knew the owner lived nearby. But he could not be reached on the phone. It was said the connection to the land was through the hunter’s father, not his personally. Unable to prove or collaborate his story, the hunter was fined for not having the proper amount of orange and for being on land without written permission.

Officer DiPietro went on to share with me one final encounter that happened opening weekend. It explained where we were headed first and lead us right into the heart of what was about to be a pretty exciting afternoon! The Sunday of opening weekend Michael and another EPO responded to a call about several gunshots being heard in a residential area. When they arrived to investigate they searched the area to find some deer stands on a strip of property with an unoccupied house. Alone the stands would not have been as much of a concern, but the officers found piles of bait around the stands; a practice outlawed in RI. No hunters were found on site, but they did find the remains of a gut pile. This with the bait was solid evidence the stands were current and active. As soon as we left Michael’s house that Saturday we were headed directly for that property to check and see if we might be able to find them, or one of the hunters. The gate was locked so we drove around to the back of the neighborhood where we could enter the property from the south side which was not gated. We donned our orange and headed in. Not 20 yards into the property we bump a NICE 8 point buck. It darted up 70 yards from us and turned broadside. It stood just long enough for me to bring up my camera and begin to zoom in, but bounded off just as I went to take the picture. Michael and I stood and laughed quietly, talking about how things like that never seem to happen except when you’re not hunting. In his case they always seem to happen when he is on the job. A textbook shot for any hunter. We pressed on into the property and walked up behind the house. As we did a man walked into sight with a pack in hand and a brand new bag of bait under his arm! Had we been just a few minutes earlier when he did not have the bait out in sight or later after he had dispersed the bait and disposed of the bag, the evidence would have been circumstantial. This was just what Michael needed to make the case.

Now, as we approached it hit me what these officers face every time they go into the woods. Knowing you might confront someone who is armed, or hearing about it is one thing, but here we stood 20 feet from an individual who had just been caught “red-handed” breaking several laws. Did I mention he was also not wearing any orange? Thankfully he had just set his shotgun down against a tree moments before we approached him. It was several feet away. I was very comfortable with the situation as Michael seemed calm and at ease, but it really made me think about what is faced on a daily basis in season. As Michael stepped to retrieve the shotgun, the gentleman kneeled down to open his pack for his license and tags. My mind raced watching intently for a possible sidearm or knife to be pulled from the pouch. It was well beyond the scope of the immediate situation I am sure, but being the new guy I figure I was entitled to a little dramatizing concern! Adding to the immediate list of infractions the hunter already had on him, he was at first unable to produce his hunting license and deer tags. The situation was not good for him to say the least. We were soon joined by a second officer, Michael’s Lieutenant, Ed Cabral who also spoke with the hunter. The gentleman was, thankfully, able to find his license and tags after a few minutes of looking, but was still sited for lack of written permission, no orange worn, and for baiting. His shotgun and the bait were confiscated and will be held until he makes his court date and pays the fines. If it wasn’t a bad enough day for the gentleman, a run of his driver’s license showed it had been suspended. I almost felt bad for him by the look on his face and as it turned out there was some confusion over a former address it seemed. Not something in the EPO’s direct jurisdiction but the gentleman did have to call for a ride as they were not allowed to let him drive with a suspended license.

It was an intense situation for me in the beginning having never been in a situation like that. But again, I was impressed with the way Officer DiPietro and Lieutenant Cabral handled it. Very professional in every aspect and even though it was obvious the things the hunter had been doing, they showed respect and gave as much benefit of the doubt as possible. Ultimately they could have recommended forfeiture of the hunter’s shotgun completely as well as his hunting license for several years, but they considered his cooperation and gave him a break.

We took the shotgun to one of the DEM’s storage areas and as they logged in the evidence I had a chance to learn more of how the system works. RI has made it available now to the EPOs to write citations to hunters for the RI Traffic Tribunal (RITT) on lesser charges. This gives the hunter the option of treating the citation much like a traffic ticket by either paying the fine by mail or opting to contest it before a judge. The heavier infractions, such as the ones over bait where the weapon is chosen to be confiscated, require an appearance in court with no mail in option of payment however. That prompted me to ask about the animals that might be seized due to a hunter’s illegal actions. It was neat to find that the DEM works closely with several RI gun clubs and offers the confiscated animal to the clubs for use in their game dinners, club dinners, etc. The same is true for game killed on the road, if retrieved in time of course.

True to what I was told about the business of the shotgun season, Michael received another call while we were still at the storage facility. Another officer, Jennifer Ogren had called for backup as she was entering the woods to confront a hunter. Again, the hunter was apparently not wearing the proper orange and was also in a stand too close to an occupied building. In RI the law requires you to be a minimum of 500 feet from an occupied building during shotgun and muzzleloader season unless you have written permission. Officer Ogren was being approached by several hunters as she went in to investigate so we were quickly on the road with lights and siren active. Michael told me he has occasion to use his lights and siren maybe 10 times throughout the year and here I was in one of those situations both times I rode with him. It was kind of a privilege… though the hope is to never have to use them at all! In route to the call we were informed another officer had arrived on scene and the site was secure. Sgt. Fran Ethier and Officer Chris Duguid had arrived and begun to assist. The discussions with both the hunter and the hunter’s father had already taken place but we helped range the distance from the hunter’s stand to the home in question. Sure enough, the hunter was in violation of the 500 foot requirement. The infraction resulted in a warning for the 500 foot violation, but the hunter was fined for having no orange on. Another possible bad situation was turned positive and we headed back to the vehicles.

Michael and I discussed the situation in some detail as we drove back, in reflection of the pros and cons. We were some 30 miles from the call when it came in yet we were one of the closest or most available units to respond. In situations like that, local police authorities can be called in to help, but they are not always available. It was yet another factor when I think of the kind of danger these officers put themselves in, knowingly having to enter situations where backup may not be readily at hand. Now it is not always the case, and the majority of situations lend themselves to the positive, but it is certainly something to think about when you consider what the officers in your state’s environmental agencies deal with.

We talked about how the shotgun season seems to be more active with violations and why. The difference between my first ride-along back in October and this one in December was significantly different in that way and degree. Michael pointed out some factors I hadn’t thought of. I would have thought archery season, being so much longer than the others would have the highest activity of violations. It was pointed out though that during archery and even the beginning of muzzleloader season the deer have been less pressured and are much less skittish than they are by the time shotgun season comes. By December the deer have been pushed, bumped, chased, and shot at and are generally much harder to find and have opportunities at. One thing that results in this is drives, where accidental shootings are much more likely to happen. Shotguns come in semi-auto unlike archery or muzzleloaders. More shots, more chances for accidents. The harder to find the deer, it is also more the likely for hunters to be tempted to enter areas not authorized for hunting as that is where the deer want to be as well. And lastly, shotgun is a more popular season, at least here in RI. As an archery and muzzleloader hunter as well. I am not often sure of the reasons more hunters don’t take advantage of those aspects of hunting, but for whatever the reasons, the shotgun season is the most hunted to date. That alone means more hunters in the woods and more often as the season is typically only two weeks long.

Well, the sun sets much earlier this time of year and it was only a few hours on the road before legal shooting hours were over. The calls tend to settle back and it provides a great opportunity for Michael to find a desk and work on the multiple pages of reports that an afternoon like we had generates for him. That was my time to call it an evening. But first… dinner! We stopped by one of the local cafes and sat for a bit with some good conversation over some good food before he took me back to my car.

Like the ride-along in October, this was an afternoon to remember for me. A great look into the importance, excitement, danger, and commitment of a career in environmental law enforcement. It’s given me a great perspective and respect for what they do, and I hope through these articles perhaps you as well. It has highlighted to me a very necessary side of the EPO’s job… the need for enforcement. For an EPO to find the mix between being the hunter’s friend and advocate yet still being the law is a tough part of the job. Michael shared with me that he likes to see people enjoying the sport of hunting and passing that tradition on to younger generations. That it is important for us as hunters to be good role models and act in the right way. He tries to take the side of the hunter and give them the benefit of the doubt as much as he can; something I personally witnessed by him and the other officers I came in contact with. But when hunters cross the line and violate, Michael still has a job to do. It is what the public expects from him. Even ethical hunters want the laws upheld. “What does it all mean if we are not all on the same page?” he asks. “If the rules of hunting only apply to some people then how many or how big becomes meaningless.” He went on to share, and much like our philosophy here at TalkHunting, that the trophy is in the hunt. If the most beautiful buck in the world was poached is it still a trophy? But the smallest or most meaningless to some can be just as much a trophy as the grandest when taken ethically. Something we all need to consider when we enter the woods or when you head to the rivers and lakes this spring to fish.

In closing, on the morning of December 28^th, a couple weeks after my ride-along, Officer DiPietro was called into work early to respond to and investigate a hunting accident in which a gentleman in his 40's was shot by another hunter. The gentleman was killed, leaving behind his wife, children, and many siblings. He was shot by his close friend and fellow hunter. One call I admit I feel blessed not to have to respond to. God bless those that are there to do so. Like I said before, if you get the chance, take the time to shake the hand and get to know your local environmental officers. They do a great service so we can continue to enjoy a great sport!