Environmental Law Enforcement Officer Trainings slated in Ada and Lawton

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

If you take a drive down the back roads of Oklahoma, it is likely you will find an illegal dump site. While they are unsightly, illegal and can cause damage to the environment, they also are unattractive to those who might choose to move into a community.

In an effort to help prevent these dump sites from popping up, the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are joining forces to host two Environmental Law Enforcement Officer Trainings. The first training will take place May 8 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Ada at the Ada Community Center, 700 N. Mississippi. The second training is slated May 20 in Lawton in Watchetaker Hall in the Comanche Nation Complex. This training will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. .

Michael Freeman, senior criminal investigator with the ODEQ, will be the presenter. He will speak about agency jurisdictions, environmental crime statutes, give an overview of illegal dumping and show a video about environmental crime awareness for peace officers.

Lynn Malley, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension assistant state specialist, solid waste management programs, said the workshop is open to all citizens and recommended for anyone interested in environmental law or those with a responsibility for preventing illegal dumping in their county.

“We encourage law enforcement officers, tribal environmental representatives, county commissioners, city officials and local citizens to attend,” Malley said. “Illegal dump sites have been an increasing problem across the state for several years and cost taxpayers thousands of dollars to clean up.”

In addition, illegal dump sites can cause contamination of soil, groundwater, drinking water wells, streams and rivers. Other side effects include possible injury to children playing on or around the dump site, damage to plant and wildlife habitats and decrease in the quality of life to nearby residents and the local community.

At the training, participants will learn about illegal dumping and other environmental crimes, investigation and enforcement responsibilities and prevention resources.

Eight hours of CLEET credit is available to law enforcement officers.

Registration is $10 and includes lunch if registered by May 6 for the training in Ada. Registration closes May 15 for the Lawton training. For additional information and to register for the workshop, please contact Malley at lynn.malley@okstate.edu.