Welcome!
Welcome to the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge webpage for the Office of Law Enforcement (OLE). We want you to see who we are, what we do, and how we are helping to protect the Florida Everglades habitat for future generations.Law Enforcement Rangers belong to the “Visitor and Resource Protection Division” within the Fish & Wildlife Service. The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), also known as the “Center of Excellence”, is the primary training center for Federal Officers from various agencies such as the U.S. Border Patrol and Customs agents, Immigration Officers, U.S. Coast Guard special agents and numerous others. Prior to beginning their career at a Wildlife Refuge they must successfully complete a rigorous 20-week training program at FLETC in Brunswick, Georgia. The curriculum includes a wide range of classroom and tactical training, which covers federal law, defensive tactics, pursuit driving, search and rescue, and first aid. This training academy is the equivalent of a 2-year community college program. Upon graduation rangers are authorized to carry firearms, conduct investigations, make arrests and serve warrants pursuant to law and policy. Following graduation, each new ranger reports for advanced field training, and works alongside seasoned rangers. So whether responding to a crime in progress, searching for a lost child, rendering CPR to a heart attack victim, or simply giving directions to visitors, rest assured that the Law enforcement officers assigned to Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge are well qualified and equipped to serve and protect you, as well as the national resource entrusted to their care.
Who we are
From the earliest days of the National Wildlife Refuge System at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, Refuge Officers have ensured that wildlife, plants, and other natural resources on our National Wildlife Refuges are protected for the benefit of present and future generations of all people. Refuge Officers receive extensive training in both standard police operations and the highly specialized field of wildlife law enforcement. Refuge Officers work closely with the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Office of Law Enforcement, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to enforce Federal laws such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Refuge Administration Act, Refuge Recreation Act, and the Endangered Species Act, as well as all pertinent state wildlife laws and regulations. See the current Complex Hunting and Fishing Regulations for more information.
There is a long history of Law Enforcement in the Fish and Wildlife Service from Paul Kroegel first federal game warden assigned to the first National Wildlife Refuge…Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge,to Guy Bradley, the first game warden killed in the line of duty, July 8, 1905 in Florida Bay while attempting to arrest plume hunters .
The Interior Department employs the third largest Federal law enforcement force – a force that includes some 200 Service special agents, 120 wildlife inspectors, and 400 refuge officers. The Interior Department, Celebrates
National Police Week. Also.the agency’s honor roll of fallen officers remembers eight individuals who worked for the Service and its predecessor agencies to enforce laws that protect fish and wildlife; refuge lands, resources, and visitors; and sometimes the Nation itself.
What we do
In 2008, Law Enforcement Rangers at Arthur R. Marshall and Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge patrolled on foot, ATV, and four-wheeled drive vehicles along 57 miles of levee, four recreation areas, and in Everglades, cypress swamp, beach, mangrove, coastal dune, and sand pine scrub habitats. Rangers patrolled refuge waterways, state waterways and coastal waters by go-fast boats, flats boats, and airboats.Rangers also patrolled by airboats and other motorboats along 57 miles of canal and 143,000 acres of Everglades habitats at the refuge, as well as areas adjacent to the refuge and along coastal lands and waters in Broward, Martin, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties, while conducting Manatee Speed Zone enforcement, monitoring sea turtle activities for poaching, enforcing Migratory Bird Act violations, and assisting other agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement , Customs and Border Protection and state and local departments. In 2008, Law Enforcement Rangers cleared by arrest over 759 offenses on Loxahatchee Refuge.
The OLE Strategic Plan (,pdf file 4.49mb) identifies goals and objectives of the Office of Law Enforcement, and explains how our efforts will contribute to conservation in this country and around the world. It will guide our enforcement efforts throughout the end of the decade. It will help officers and those who assist us to serve the American people and protect the living legacy that we treasure. It will help us use our resources effectively to safeguard the animals and plants entrusted to our stewardship. It will ensure that we can continue to make a difference for wildlife into the future. I
If you want to see the type of cases Law Enforcement investigate, click on the following links to see our annual reports. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to access these files.
The Clark R. Bavin National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory conducts scientific analyses that support federal, state, and international investigations of wildlife crime. The Office of Law Enforcement also maintains a National Wildlife Property Repository , which supplies abandoned and forfeited wildlife items to schools, universities, museums, and non-government organizations for public education, and operates the National Eagle Repository , which meets the needs of Native Americans for eagles and eagle feathers for religious use.
Just for Kids
Hey kids what do you want to know about Law Enforcement. Would you like to grow up and be a Law Enforcement officer. It is a good way to protect the environment. Start out by visiting your page, filled with puzzles and coloring pages. Also see if you can spot what an Law Enforcement inspecter looks for at airports. Click here to see how a bill becomes a law
What's Happening Now
New Firearm Regulations
As of February 22, 2010, a new federal law allows people who can legally possess firearms under applicable federal, state, and local laws, to legally possess firearms in ARM Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and all other National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks.
It is the responsibility of visitors to understand and comply with all applicable state, local, and federal firearms laws before entering this Refuge. Please visit the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services for Florida firearms regulations.
Federal law prohibits firearms in Federal facilities (such as the Refuge Visitor Center); those places are marked with signs at all public entrances.
While the Fish and Wildlife Service strives to make the information on this Web site as timely and accurate as possible, the Service makes no claims about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of this site. or its links to other Internet resources.
The information appearing on this Web site is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice to anyone. Please consult with your own legal advisor before taking any action based on information appearing on this site or any site to which it may be linked.
FWC, USFWS, Juno Beach Police snag sea turtle egg-poaching suspect.
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August 27, 2010 a Juno Beach Florida police sergeant's keen sense of observation resulted in the early morning, multi-agency arrest of a suspected sea turtle egg-poacher. With the involvement of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), police took Kenneth C. Coleman of Riviera Beach, into custody.
At first, Coleman resisted arrest and took off. After a foot chase, the sergeant cornered and apprehended Coleman, but his bag was gone. He was booked in the Palm Beach County jail on misdemeanor charges. A background check revealed that Coleman had been arrested for poaching in 2005, when he was charged with a felony for possession of more than 11 sea turtle eggs.
As a result, FWC investigators and K-9 units began searching for the bag and a possible poached sea turtle nest. K-9 Boone tracked the suspect to a poached nest. Officer Cris Douglass located the bag several hours later in the bushes behind a condominium along Juno Dunes Way. Inside the bag were 123 sea turtle eggs.
Coleman faces federal charges: one count of violating the Endangered Species Act (misdemeanor; and one count of violating the Lacey Act (felony), which prohibits the sale, possession or transportation of illegally taken wildlife with a market value exceeding $350 |
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LE News Releases - 2010
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