- New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police
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New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police Common name New York City Environmental Protection Police Abbreviation NYC DEP Police Patch of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police. Agency overview Formed 1906 Legal personality Governmental: Government agency Jurisdictional structure Operations jurisdiction* City of New York in the state of New York, USA Legal jurisdiction The State Of New York General nature Specialist jurisdiction Environment, parks, and-or heritage property. Operational structure Environmental Police Officers 189 Agency executive Peter Fusco, Chief of Police Units List- Emergency Services Unit
- Marine Patrol
- Canine Patrol(K-9)
- Detective Bureau
Facilities Precincts 1st Precinct - Gilboa 2nd Precinct - Beerston
3rd Precinct - Downsville
4th Precinct - Ashokan
5th Precinct - Neversink
6th Precinct - Eastview
7th Precinct - Yonkers
Lefrak City
Website NYC DEP Website Footnotes * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police, also known as DEP Police, and formerly known as the Bureau of Water Supply Police and the Aqueduct Police, is a law enforcement agency in New York whose duties are to protect and preserve the New York City water supply system, the nation's largest single source water supply. The department has protected and preserved the water supply system for over 100 years.
Contents
History
The Bureau of Water Supply (BWS) Police was created through legislation enacted in the 1906 Water Supply Act. It was not until 1907 that the first provisional appointees were hired and assigned. On July 9, 1908, the first permanent police officers were appointed and assigned to the precincts in Peekskill, Garrison, Browns Station, and High Falls. The Bureau of Water Supply Police was the first police agency in upstate New York with a multiple county police jurisdiction.
In 1908, Rhinelander Waldo was appointed as Chief of the Board of the Aqueduct Police. At this time, there were approximately 60 men assigned to the force. After a few months of service, Rhinelander was appointed Fire Commissioner of the City of New York. He was succeeded by Captain Douglas I. McKay.
Captain McKay selected a number of qualified individuals from the civil service list with the intention of making them Aqueduct Police Sergeants. He created stringent requirements, including that all members must be qualified horseman, and have experience as an officer or non-commissioned officer in the United States Army or the National Guard (with a preference for Spanish-American War Veterans). Approximately two hundred men passed these rigid qualifications and were appointed as sergeants.
At this time, the newly formed Aqueduct Police, a force of 350 officers (300 of these being mounted units) were tasked with ensuring order in the unruly construction site work camps. The first Board of Water Supply Police Precinct was built in Spout Brook, approximately two miles from Peekskill, New York. Other Precincts were built shortly after, each being manned by five sergeants and thirty officers and horses.
In 1983, the Bureau of Water Supply became the Department of Environmental Protection and the New York State Legislature revised the Criminal Procedure Law, part of the New York State Laws, to include DEP police officers.[1] In 1999, the DEP jurisdiction was extended to include the five boroughs of New York City. In 2004, the highest court in the state, the New York State Court of Appeals, affirmed the DEP Police Department's jurisdiction throughout the watershed. Members of the DEP Police are New York State police officers.
Today
The NYC Department of Environmental Protection Police investigate over 4000 complaints per year, 500 of these related to environmental crimes. Environmental crimes include storm water complaints, water pollution and the illegal transportation, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. Additionally they investigate waste water treatment plant and septic system failures as well as dumping complaints. The DEP department maintains jurisdiction in 14 counties including the 5 counties in New York City. The department has a full time Aviation Unit, ESU Team, Marine Patrol, K-9 Patrol, and Detective Bureau.
Rank structure
There are seven titles (referred to as ranks) in the New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police[2]:
Title Insignia Uniform Shirt Color Chief White Deputy Chief White Lieutenant White Detective Sergeant
SergeantDark Blue Detective
Environmental Police OfficerDark Blue Departmental issues
Salary
The salary for DEP Police officer is $25,631 for the first 26 weeks while in training, which jumps to $29,405 after the completion of training. The salary rises up to $30,355 after one year, and reaches the top salary of $44,742 after 6 years.[3]
Line of Duty Injury Benefits
DEP Police officers do not have line of duty injury benefits. This issue first came to light in 2008 when DEP Police sergeant Ed Klan was responding to a shots fired call. He lost control of his police car on an icy road and it flipped. Sergeant Klan suffered neck and shoulder injuries, forcing him to take off from work. His salary wasn't paid to him, and he was forced to refinance his home in order to pay bills.[4]
In March 2009, DEP officer Eric Hoffman was injured when he crashed his all-terrain vehicle while chasing after trespassers and did not have line of duty injury benefits[5]
On April 20, 2009, DEP Police officers and their union president rallied outside New York City Hall for line of duty injury benefits.[6]
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in New York
- New York City water supply system
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police
References
- ^ New York State Criminal Procedure Law, section 1.20, subsection 34, paragraph o
- ^ About the DEP Police
- ^ Environmental Cops Clash With Chiefs
- ^ DEP cops and line-of-duty injury benefits
- ^ DEP officer's injury benefits
- ^ DEP officers rally for injury benefits
External links
Categories:- Environment and heritage law enforcement agencies
- Specialist police departments of New York
- 1906 establishments in the United States
- Law enforcement agencies of New York City
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