Fish and Wildlife Service Special Operations may be disbanded, increase wildlife crime!

[Guest guest]

The alert below relates to efforts to disband the Fish and Wildlife Service

Office of Law Enforcement's Division of Special Operations. Special

Operations agents infiltrate smuggling rings and " set up shop, " posing as

animal dealers. Because the wildlife trade is so secretive, it is often hard

to solve wildlife crimes without going " undercover. " There have been many

criminal cases involving primates in recent years. Many of the best and

bravest of the nation's agents serve in the Special Ops branch.

 

In addition, it is of concern that an effort may be under way to cut

funds for federal wildlife enforcement by 10%. This area is already grossly

under-funded, In 2004, the Law Enforcement budget was $53 million. Over

150,000 wildlife shipments entered the United States. Only 231 investigative

agents and 95 port inspectors were in place. The Office of Law Enforcement

also runs a forensics laboratory.

 

If the cuts take place, as well as disbanding of Special Ops, we will

see more smuggling of all wildlife.

 

Please call, fax or email your two U.S. Senators and one U.S. Representative

to ask them to " ensure that either the Office of Law Enforcement be properly

funded or its duties transferred to other agencies. The Federal Wildlife

Officers' Association (FWOA) is an association of federal agents charged

with protection of native and non-native wildlife from poachers and

smugglers. " For contact information, type in your zip code at:

http://www.congress.org

 

" FWS to Shut Down Special Ops

 

It has been learned from sources close to the decision making process

that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to dismantle its law

enforcement Special Operations division.

 

The once single most effective law enforcement entity in the Department of

the Interior will cease to be under an agreement reached at a recent meeting

of high level FWS law enforcement supervisors. Apparently under a mandate to

reduce the already sparse law enforcement budget by ten percent, the Office

of Law Enforcement will now operate without, among other capabilities, a

dedicated undercover unit.

 

Coming as it does as another in a long litany of moves that have gutted the

capabilities of the Service's law enforcement arm we are not surprised at

the decision nor the need for it. In reality, the Service has been cutting

back on the undercover operations functions of the unit for years. Law

enforcement is still dependent on the good will and lean funding hand outs

of non law enforcement bureaucrats whose expertise and goals have little to

do with the nation's need to curb wildlife crime. Some of those

functionaries work within the Office of Law Enforcement itself.

 

For the sake of the country's wildlife resources and the dedicated men

and women sworn to protect them it is time to move all of FWS LE to a

Department whose mission and leadership are dedicated to the apprehension

and prosecution of criminals not the preservation of an indifferent

bureaucracy. "

 

SPEAK OUT!

 

The Society for Animal Protective Legislation has a full list of

representatives and senators on its web site,

http://www.saplonline.org/congress.htm

 

Please request your representative and senators to ensure that either

the Office of Law Enforcement be properly funded or its duties transferred

to other agencies. Overseas nationals whose wildlife will surely be affected

by cutbacks in US law enforcement should contact the US Embassy in their

country of residence.

 

Thank you,

 

Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman

International Primate Protection League

PO Box 766

Summerville, SC 29484, USA

Phone - 843-871-2280, Fax- 843-871-7988

E-mail - smcgreal (ippl.org) Web: www.ippl.org