Environmental Progress - Autumn 1996

New Criminal Enforcement Network Will Focus on Environmental Crimes

The Illinois EPA is joining a partnership to more vigorously identify and prosecute environmental crimes

Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan has announced creation of an Environmental Crimes Investigators Network, a four point plan to unite law enforcement officials to more vigorously identify and prosecute environmental crimes across Illinois.

The Network will consist of resources from the Attorney General's Office, Illinois State Police, Illinois EPA, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, state's attorneys, sheriff's departments and police departments.

A key component of the program will be designation of one employee from each participating group as an environmental crimes investigator. The Illinois EPA and the Attorney General's Office will provide training for these officers either by video or at one of three conferences conducted around the state. Investigators will then train other officers to spot possible violations of Illinois' environmental laws, such as illegal dumping or improper storage of hazardous wastes.

The program has been unanimously endorsed by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police. Organization President Dan Slazinik said "We need to aggressively start prosecuting and not just trying to remedy environmental problems."

The four initiative elements are:

• Public Awareness and Education -- public service announcements (PSAs) will be developed for both radio and television detailing the types of environmental crimes occurring across the state and advising the public on how they can help detect them. These PSAs will be made available to law enforcement agencies.
• Investigator Training -- During July and August the Office of the Attorney General and participating medias conducted training conferences across the state to help local law enforcement officials gain expertise in investigating environmental crimes.
• Enforcement -- Linking the resources of state and local law enforcement agencies will allow unified action in expeditiously identifying and prosecuting environmental crimes.
• Hotline -- a toll-free hotline will be developed to give the public a means to assist law enforcement agencies in locating potential violations.

Approximately 450 law enforcement agencies were invited to join

Initially, approximately 450 police and sheriff's offices were invited to participate in the program.

The Illinois EPA supports the Attorney General's program. "The Environmental Crimes Investigators Network will increase the eyes and ears available to the Illinois EPA and the Attorney General for the detection of environmental crimes, and this fact alone should cause potential violators to think twice before they act," said Illinois EPA Director Mary A. Gade.

Attorney General Ryan added, "We have no tolerance for those who pollute our drinking water or dirty the air we breathe. We are doing all we can to ensure that those acts don't go unpunished."

The network will complement the work of Illinois EPA's current criminal inspectors and the Attorney General's Environmental Crimes Bureau. Ryan created the special bureau upon taking office, to prosecute the most blatant environmental violations.