POLICING OUTDOORS

Rewards And Risks As Times Change, Environmental Officers' Roles
Expand Beyond Wildlife Protection

Ed Yescott was driving along the back roads of Burlington in November
when he heard the report of an armed robbery on his state police
radio. He spotted the vehicle, followed the suspects home and held
them at gunpoint until troopers arrived.

Yescott doesn't work for the local police department; he's an
Environmental Conservation Police Officer. But he's not like the game
warden from your grandfather's time or even your father's conservation officer.

During heightened terrorist threat levels, officers like Yescott
patrol the waters off the Millstone Point nuclear power plant in
Waterford 24 hours a day, seven days a week providing backup for the
Coast Guard.

Formed as special game protectors 110 years ago, these environmental
conservation police officers are fully certified officers - trained
at the Connecticut Police Academy just as other police officers.
These men and women perform a full range of law enforcement duties.

Although most of their duties still involve enforcing state laws and
regulations pertaining to fish, shellfish and wildlife, these
officers are dealing with an increasing number of domestic violence
arrests, drug busts and assaults in state parks, forests and campgrounds.

In 2004, the agency answered an increasingly high number of incidents
and made many arrests, from capturing an armed fugitive illegally
camping in a state forest to going under cover and breaking up a ring
of fishermen illegally selling striped bass.

But the high number of incidents and large coverage area are putting
a strain on what state Department of Environmental Protection
officials call a "small and short-staffed department."

"It's sometimes a momentous task to cover it all and still address
the fish and game aspects of the job, especially in the summer," said
Col. Eric C. Nelson, director of the department and a 20-year veteran.

Last year, the department was renamed the Division of State
Environmental Conservation Police or EnCon Police for short.
Conservation Enforcement Officers were changed to Environmental
Conservation Police Officers to better describe the officers' duties
and get the message out to the public that they have police powers.

In 1895, the state's commissioner of fish and game appointed "special
protectors" to serve as fish and game wardens. With the abolition of
the sheriff system a few years ago, the EnCon police became the
longest serving law enforcement agency in the state. The state police
were formed in 1903.

They are also called in to back up state police and municipal police
departments in narcotics enforcement, domestic disputes and for
stakeouts. These officers also perform a variety of tasks in the
study, management and conservation of natural resources.

"A lot of people think you are just forest rangers," said Laura
Gregonis, the 2003 officer of the year. "But there's so much more to
the job. You are not only enforcing the law, you are out protecting
our natural resources and protecting it so future generations can enjoy them."

"I don't think the general public knows we are out there," added
Capt. Richard Lewis. "Seeing the 'guy in green' is an oddity for
many. We encourage all our officers to let people know who we are and
what we do."

But seeing the "guy in green" seems to be getting harder and harder
each year, according to Nelson. The future of the department is
uncertain with eight officers with more than 20 years of experience
and 23 eligible for retirement in 2009.

Although three officers were hired in October, they were the first
new employees since 2000.

Nelson and his staff have been forced to send officers to "problem
areas" across the state. By assigning a greater number of officers
than normal to patrol a specific area, Nelson hopes to eliminate the
problem. But it also takes officers away from their specific patrol area.

"People get to trust you," Nelson said. "They tell you what the bad
guys are doing and where. With acres and acres of property, it's
something you have to rely on."

In the summer of 2004, officers conducted a weekend patrol of four
campgrounds in the Pachaug State Forest - the largest in the state -
after getting complaints about disturbing and unruly behavior the
previous year. The high-profile patrol used every officer and
supervisor assigned to the eastern district and successfully reduced
the behavior.

"It's the old adage of the squeaky wheel gets the grease," he said.
"While it's worked in most instances, we aren't able to address all
of the problem areas because of a lack of adequate staffing."

In 1998, the agency suffered its only fatality when Officer James V.
Spignesi Jr. was shot by a hunter after investigating a complaint of
hunting after legal hours in Scotland. It highlighted the dangers
these officers are facing and the fact that during hunting season
they are always encountering people with guns or other weapons.

Although many of the officers are former police officers, it is not a
prerequisite. All three newly hired officers are former police
officers at the Metropolitan District Commission, West Hartford and Bloomfield.

The state is divided into four sectors with staffing levels of
approximately eight officers per sector. Officers are on duty 24
hours a day and usually live within their coverage area. Since they
have state vehicles, from Crown Victorias to Ford Explorers, their
day usually begins as soon as they leave their homes. They also are
out patrolling on boats, jet skis, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles
and mountain bikes.

Summer is the busiest time for the department, with boaters on
rivers, lakes and Long Island Sound, and campers filling up
campgrounds across the state. These environmental conservation
officers also patrol the shellfish beds and work to keep contaminated
clams and oysters from reaching the consumer.

In the fall, hunting season begins along with the illegal beer
parties within state forests, and over the winter officers monitor
ice fishing by checking licenses and catches. In the spring, fishing
season begins and people are starting to come out to enjoy the outdoors again.

Gregonis, a former chemist, found herself in a career where she could
be outside all day and not in the lab breathing in chemicals. And she
plans to stick with it.

Whether it's tracking down illegal hunters shooting near a school or
illegal ATV use on state property, like many officers, Gregonis said
she will do this until she retires.

Gregonis, who has been on the force for six years, patrols Ellington,
Enfield, Somers, East Windsor, South Windsor and Vernon out of the
Marlborough regional office.

On a recent afternoon, Gregonis was busy tracking down complaints of
people shooting after dark, otherwise known as "jacklighters."

A majority of her day is taken up with routine patrols of wildlife
management areas along the Connecticut River and in her patrol towns.

During one patrol, she stopped to drop off a "thank you" card at the
home of a local farmer who pulled her out one day after she got her
vehicle stuck. She also will stop by the bait and tackle shops to
trade and share information.

"It's very odd anyone leaves here before they retire," Lewis said.
"This is an awesome job. There's something new and different every
single day. One day you are sitting patrolling for people jacking
deer and investigating smash and grabs at a state park and the next
you are in schools teaching students about wildlife.

"You become part of the community and you are kind of looked upon as
the sheriff of the community," Lewis said.