sSzEPA CEFT At a Glance August 2017 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training MISSION: Investigate serious environmental crimes. Provide: • Federal, state, tribal, and local prosecutors with the evidence needed to prosecute environmental crimes, • Environmental evidence retrieval, forensic analyses, technical evaluations to both civil and criminal enforcement, • Counsel and guidance on legal investigative issues, and • Successful investigations to deter potential violators and eliminate the temptation to "pay to pollute." WHAT IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME? An environmental crime is a knowing or negligent violation of an environmental law. Environmental laws are designed to protect our nation's air, land, water, and public health. SEVEN SIGNS OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME: • Strong, offensive, or unusual chemical odors, • Large numbers of dead birds, fish or other animals, • Pipes or valves that bypass waste treatment systems, • Tank trucks discharging into drains, manholes or surface waters, • Oily slicks on bodies of water, • Corroded, leaking waste containers, and • Drums or containers dumped at odd hours in out-of-the-way places. WHO INVESTIGATES ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES? • Federal law enforcement agents - with full Federal authority to conduct investigations, carry firearms, make arrests, and execute search and arrest warrants. • Specially trained investigators, chemists, engineers, technicians. • Attorneys with environmental crimes expertise. INVESTIGATIONS & FORENSICS: EPA must have cutting-edge capabilities to prove cases beyond a reasonable doubt. Investigations - EPA special agents talk and listen to suspects and witnesses, conduct surveillance, seize and analyze records, find people and information, work with forensics experts, prosecutors and other police involved, analyze evidence and data and testify in court. As environmental crime specialists, they also apply added training in environmental sciences, toxicology, safety, and environmental law. NEIC (National Enforcement Investigations Center) - At EPA's fully- accredited forensics laboratory in Lakewood, Colorado, multi-disciplinary expert teams conduct field investigations to gather site-specific evidence and laboratory work to analyze the results. NEIC staff work with special agents to provide field sampling, engineering evaluations, forensic laboratory analysis, and expert witness services in the courtroom. NCFL-TEC (National Computer Forensics Laboratory and Technical Investigative Equipment Support Center) - At this Jacksonville, Florida, facility, a team of high-tech criminal investigators plan the search, seizure, and analysis of digital evidence from the Internet, computers, servers, smart phones, and other digital or electronic devices. Rarely does an environmental crime not leave a digital trail PROTECTIVE SERVICE DETAIL (PSD): OCEFT special agents also provide physical security for the EPA Administrator. The PSD advises the Administrator and staff on his/her personal security matters and carries out its responsibilities through developing and implementing security plans, monitoring technical security considerations, developing emergency contingency plans, and coordinating with federal, state and local law enforcement offices, PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT & INFORMATION: EPA'S Fugitive Website: http://www.epa.gov/fugitives BAGGETT DELEON WAINWRIGHT Report Environmental Violations: http://www.epa.gov/tips OCEFT on EPA's Website: http://www.epa.gov/enforcement/criminal CRIMINAL CASE RESULTS ------- |