U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement Law Enforcement At a Glance Forensics Laboratory Scientist Headquarters Assistant Director, Edward Grace Deputy Assistant Director, Luis Santiago Contact Information 703-358-1949 (Office) 703-358-2271 (Fax) Special Agent in the Field Mailing Address U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement 5275 Leesburg Pike (MS:OLE) Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 Website www.fws.gov/le Staffed Wildlife Ports of Entry Anchorage, AK Baltimore, MD Brownsville, TX Champlain, NY Denver, CO Eastport, ID Ft. Lauderdale, FL Laredo, TX Memphis, TN New Orleans, LA Nogales, AZ Portland, OR San Francisco, CA Sweetgrass, MT Agana, GU Blaine, WA Buffalo, NY Chicago, IL Detroit, MI El Paso, TX Honolulu, HI Los Angeles, CA Miami, FL New York, NY Pembina, ND San Diego, CA Savannah, GA Tampa, FL FWS-led International Training Mission: Our mission is to protect wildlife and plant resources through the effective enforcement of federal laws. By working with federal, state, tribal, and foreign enforcement agencies, and other conservation partners, we help to recover endangered species, conserve migratory birds, preserve wildlife habitat, safeguard fisheries, combat invasive species, and promote international wildlife conservation. Focus: Atlanta, GA Boston, MA Calais, ME Dallas/Fort Worth, TX Dulles, VA Erlanger, KY Houston, TX Louisville, KY Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN Newark, NJ Philadelphia, PA San Juan PR Seattle, WA During FY 2019, Service wildlife inspectors processed 191,492 declared shipments of wildlife and wildlife products worth more than $4.3 billion. The Nation’s top 10 busiest ports of entry for wildlife trade are show below: Port of Entry New York, NY Los Angeles, CA Newark, NJ Miami, FL Louisville, KY Dallas/Fort Worth, TX Chicago, IL Memphis, TN San Francisco, CA Honolulu, HI Wildlife Inspector with Canine Partner Shipments 29,900 27,622 23,002 11,668 11,000 9,004 8,601 8,301 5,791 5,608 Our focus is to investigate wildlife crimes; regulate wildlife trade; help Americans understand and comply with federal conservation laws; work in partnership with federal, state, tribal, and international counterparts to conserve wildlife and plant resources; and protect our nation’s border and natural resources by interdicting illegal wildlife products and injurious species before entering or leaving the country. Strategic Plan Goals: • Combat Global Wildlife Trafficking • Protect the Nation’s Fish, Wildlife, and Plants from Unlawful Exploitation, Industrial Hazards, and Habitat Loss • Facilitate and Expedite Legal Trade • Enhance Management Accountability Budget ($000) Fiscal Operations Year 2011 $62,061 2012 $61,168 * 2013 $56,932 2014 $63,365 2015 $65,827 2016 $73,815 2017 $74,413 2018 $76,143 2019 $ 78,143 *FY 2013 Sequestered Level Equipment Replacement $869 $975 $910 $910 $910 $910 $910 $910 $910 Total $62,930 $62,143 $57,842 $64,275 $66,737 $74,725 $75,053 $77,053 $79.053 Agent and Inspector Staffing (as of October 1st of each fiscal year) Reward Information: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is authorized to pay rewards for information or assistance that leads to an arrest, a criminal conviction, civil penalty assessment, or forfeiture of seized property. Payment of rewards is the discretion of the Service and is linked to specific federal wildlife laws. The amount of the reward we may pay is commensurate with the information or assistance received. Please discuss the possibility of a reward with the Service personnel receiving your information or assistance. To Report a Wildlife Crime: Fiscal Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Number of Special Agents on Board 202 219 222 213 211 205 229 213 215 Number of Wildlife Inspectors on Board 124 143 140 130 124 124 126 122 113 Email: fws_tips@fws.gov Call: 1-844-397-8477 (1-844-FWS-TIPS) Fiscal Year 2019 Public Information Page 1 Updated on 3-28-20 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Educational Display at the Repository Office of Law Enforcement A Special Agent at DERTSU Special Agent Attachés • • • • Stationed at U.S. embassies in strategic regions that are rich in both wildlife and wildlife crime, they strengthen international partnerships in order to protect the world’s wildlife from poaching and illegal trade. Gather intelligence and coordinate international investigations focusing on crimes that have a U.S. nexus. Provide training to build capacity with international law enforcement partners and leverage U.S. Government assets to enhance law enforcement efforts. Provide access to USFWS scientific resources such as the National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Lab and the Digital Evidence Recovery and Technical Surveillance Unit. Special Agents • • • • • • • Break up international and domestic wildlife trafficking rings that target protected animals and plants here and around the world. Protect wildlife from environmental contaminants and industrial hazards. Safeguard habitats for threatened and endangered species and support landscape conservation. Enforce federal migratory game bird hunting regulations, work with states to protect other game species, and preserve legitimate hunting opportunities. Work with federal, state, and tribal law enforcement officers to safeguard U.S. species and their habitats, and with international counterparts to combat global wildlife trafficking and transnational organized crime. Train federal, state, tribal, and foreign law enforcement officers. Conduct outreach to industry, trade groups, and others to promote wildlife conservation and secure voluntary compliance with wildlife laws. Wildlife Inspectors • • • • • • • Are stationed at major international airports, ocean ports, and border crossings. Serve as the Nation’s front-line defense against illegal international trade in wildlife and wildlife products. Inspect wildlife shipments to ensure compliance with laws and treaties and detect illegal trade. Prevent the introduction and interstate spread of injurious species. Work closely with counterparts from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to maintain import/export controls and interdict smuggled wildlife. Conduct inspections at international mail facilities, express carrier facilities, and passenger terminals at airports. Use canines to detect greater numbers of illegal wildlife and wildlife products creating additional investigations leading to arrests and prosecution. National Eagle and Wildlife Property Repositories • • • • Provide a central location for the receipt, storage, and distribution of bald and golden eagles (that are found dead) and their parts. Ship eagles and parts to enrolled Native Americans for use in religious and cultural ceremonies. Receive wildlife items that have been forfeited or abandoned. Donate wildlife items for scientific or educational purposes. Fiscal Year 2019 Wildlife Inspector with Seized Coral A Geneticist at the Forensics Lab Wildlife Intelligence Unit • • • • Provide Service investigators access to a multitude of law enforcement tools and resources, which assist them to identify and disrupt wildlife trafficking networks and transnational organized criminal syndicates. Collect and analyze information on all aspects of wildlife trafficking to support Service investigations, inspections, and smuggling interdiction efforts. Coordinate information sharing with other law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and around the world. Maintain a broad network of domestic and international contacts with conservation groups, trade associations, and other entities involved in, or concerned with, wildlife trade. National Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory • • • • • Identify the species or subspecies of pieces, parts, or products of an animal. Determine the cause of death of an animal. Help wildlife officers determine if a violation of law has occurred. Identify and compare physical evidence in an attempt to link suspect, victim, and crime scene. Work at the only lab in the world dedicated to crimes against wildlife. Digital Evidence Recovery and Technical Support Unit • • Consists of two programs, a digital forensic laboratory and a covert electronic surveillance equipment unit. Provide multi-layered expertise (both technical and investigative) to assist field officers with large-scale and complex investigations of wildlife crime by retrieving and analyzing computer based records and advanced surveillance techniques. Investigative Cases (by fiscal year) Act Description African Elephant Conservation Act Eagle Protection Act Endangered Species Act Lacey Act Marine Mammal Protection Act Migratory Bird Acts Other Federal/Foreign Law Rhino Tiger Act Wild Bird Conservation Act Total of all acts 2016 40 175 6,699 2,011 304 524 438 20 52 10,263 2017 41 203 7,279 1,774 230 488 482 18 47 10,562 Annual Penalty Statistics (by fiscal year) Category Criminal Fines Civil Penalties Prison (years) Probation (years) Public Information 2016 $9.5M $2.3M 44 342 2017 $2.2M $3.6M 31 308 2018 36 165 6,727 1,657 208 444 567 23 42 9,869 2018 $6.7M $3.8M 57 364 2019 30 150 6,256 1,656 177 408 558 42 58 9,344 2019 $7.7M $608K 58 289 Page 2 Updated on 3-28-20