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Law Enforcement Response to Environmental Crime

NCJ Number
151399
Author(s)
J Epstein; T M Hammett
Date Published
1995
Length
91 pages
Annotation
This report explains how communities can create or enhance their responses to environmental offenses, including hazardous waste dumping and the disposal of construction and demolition debris, so that it is best suited to the community's specific needs.
Abstract
Based on the experience of several successful law enforcement responses, the report offers basic information on how to initiate and enhance law enforcement programs. The discussion emphasizes interagency cooperation, enforcement unit placement, investigation and case development strategies, and training. It also describes the use of sting operations and other creative approaches to investigation, emphasizes the primacy of safety and public health, the importance of targeting problems areas to conserve resources, and the involvement of the public and the media in efforts to detect environmental crimes. Guidelines are also provided for working with the prosecutor. Chapter reference notes and appended charts, lists of cases and laws, and list of programs visited and persons interviewed