Chapter 18: Agricultural, Wildlife, and Environmental
Crimes
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Chapter 18
Agricultural, Wildlife, and Environmental
Crimes
Learning Objectives
1. Discuss the economic impact of agricultural, wildlife, and environmental crimes on the
economy of the United States.
2. Discuss the prevalence of timber theft.
3. List the major categories of wildfires.
4. Explain how horses and cattle rustlers operate.
Introduction
Conventional wisdom says that crime is fundamentally a big-city problem, and in fact crimes
related to agricultural, wildlife, and the environment rarely make the types of headlines one sees
Lecture Notes
I. The Economic Impact of Agricultural, Wildlife, and Environmental Crimes
Ranchers, farmers, and others living in rural places are often the victims of thefts including thefts
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Reported losses due to livestock theft are $19.7 million annually; this crime is believed to be at
least 50% underreported, so losses may actually be in the $40 to $50 million range. Beef and calf
II. Timber Theft
Forest economists believe that thieves are stealing trees worth $1 billion annually and that 1 in
III. Wildfire Investigations
Wildfires are a continual problem in the United States, with all of the top five most destructive
A. Fire Cause Categories
Following are some of the most common categories used to describe the various causes of
wildfires:
• Arson/incendiary
• Children
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• Power lines
B. Arson/Incendiary
Arson/incendiary wildfires are defined as those fires that are deliberately and/or maliciously
C. Children
Wildfires started by children are defined as those fires started by persons 12 years of age or
younger. The child may be motivated by normal curiosity and use fire in experimental or play
fashion.
D. Lightning
A lightning fire is defined as any wildland fire started as a result of lighting activity.
E. Campfires
A campfire is defined as any fire kindled for warmth, cooking, light, religious, or ceremonial
F. Smoking
A smoking-caused fire is defined as any fire that results from smoking activities or
G. Debris Burning
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Debris burning-caused wildfires are defined as fires started for purposes of burning slash,
garbage, stubble, right-of-way, or other controlled burning.
H. Equipment Use
Equipment use fires are defined as wildland fires that result from the operation of mechanical
I. Railroad
Railroad fires are defined as those wildfires caused by any railroad operations, personnel, or
rolling stock and can include track and right-of-way maintenance.
J. Power Lines
Power line fires are those defined as fires that result from a conductor failure or faulting,
K. Fireworks
Fires caused by fireworks are defined as wildfires caused by ground based, handheld, or aerial
explosives.
L. Cutting, Welding, and Grinding
Cutting-, welding-, and grinding-caused wildfires are defined as those caused by an industrial
M. Firearms
N. Blasting
Blasting fires are defined as wildfires started by flaming debris associated with blasting
activities.
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IV. Theft of Agrichemicals
Agrichemical is a broad term whose meaning encompasses a variety of products used on farms,
including pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides. As a rule of thumb, fertilizers are not a target of
theft because of their bulk and relatively low cost. In contrast, pesticides and herbicides can be
V. Livestock and Tack Theft
Livestock refers to cattle, horses, sheep, goats, hogs, mules, donkey, and other such species.
Tack refers to saddles, bridles, harnesses, horse blankets and related equipment. Certain
generalizations can be made with respect to livestock and tack thefts:
• Most livestock thefts are committed by persons who have been or are currently employed
in some aspect of a livestock business. One significant exception to this broad observation
A. Cattle Rustling
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The majority of cattle-rustling thefts are committed by one or two people who take the animal
for their own use. Surveillance methods that work well in urban areas are usually difficult to
B. Horse Rustling
There is not a great deal of variation in how horse rustlers operate. If the horse is in a corral,
the thief will park a vehicle and trailer nearby, walk up and take the horse, load it in the
C. Tack Theft
Tack is equipment that is used with horses; the most common items are saddles, bridles,
VI. Livestock Identification
The purpose of livestock identification is to establish that a particular animal is the property of a
specific owner. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, concern about agroterrorism (discussed in much
Brands are combinations of numbers, letters, marks, and shapes that establish a unique
identification and must be registered with the state before they can be used. There are five major
methods of marking horses and cattle for identification:
• Hot-Iron: Hot-iron branding is a method of identification that has been used in this country
for nearly 400 years.
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• Ear Tags: Plastic ear tags can be bought prenumbered or blank so the rancher can use
DNA profiles of expensive horses and bulls are common as a theft deterrent, and some breed
associations as well as insurance companies mandate that DNA profiles of expensive horses and
bulls are required. This is done in part to prevent insurance scams.
VII. Physical Evidence
The processing of a crime scene where an agriculture-related theft has occurred is in many
VIII. Crime Prevention Methods
Information about how to prevent rural and agricultural crimes can be obtained from a variety of
A. Farm Equipment Theft
Some of the prevention methods for farm equipment theft are as follows:
• Participate in identification programs and keep photos of equipment.
B. Timber Theft
Some of the prevention methods for timber theft are as follows:
• Document its condition with date-stamped photographs.
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C. Agrichemical Theft
Some of the prevention methods for agrichemical theft are as follows:
• End-users, whenever feasible, should buy only in quantities that they can readily use.
D. Livestock and Tack Theft
Some of the prevention methods for livestock and tack theft are as follows:
• Mark all livestock for identification; maximum deterrence is obtained when marks are
E. Other Crime Prevention Suggestions for Farmers
Some of the suggestions are as follows:
• Install security lighting and closed-circuit television.
IX. Agroterrorism
The United States enjoys a safe, plentiful, and inexpensive food supply. Terrorists are well aware
of this and thus consider America’s agriculture and food production tempting targets. A subset of
bioterrorism, agroterrorism is defined as “the deliberate introduction of an animal or plant
disease for the purpose of generating fear, causing economic losses, or undermining social
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stability.”
A. Threat Environment
Because it lacks drama and the spectacle of more common terrorist violence, such as
B. Economic Disruption of Agriculture at Three Levels
Terrorists know that a successful agroterrorism incident threatens America’s economic
welfare and standing as a leading exporter of agricultural exports. A successful attack would
C. Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)—The Most Ominous Threat
Attacks directed against the cattle, swine, or poultry industries or via the food chain pose the
D. Terrorist Threats in the Past
Interestingly, one of the first known attempts to intentionally introduce diseases into
E. Law Enforcement Preparedness
State agriculture with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service have responsibility and authority for animal disease. Specially trained
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F. Biosecurity Measures and Prevention
Following strict biosecurity measures can prevent the spread of disease. Local and state law
X. Wildlife Crimes
A. Major Threats to Wildlife
Urban sprawl destroys animal habitats, as does the accidental or illegal release of chemicals,
B. Investigations
Wildlife officers generally spend only about 20% of their time engaged in law enforcement
activities. Information is an essential commodity in combating poachers and in increasing
investigators’ rate of success. In some states, 80% of all poacher arrests come from leads from
citizens.
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Vehicle check stops are strategically set up on carefully selected roads to check vehicles for
bag limits, unplugged shotguns, and licenses and to determine whether necessary special
stamps have been acquired.
Despite the availability of a variety of databases, some out-of-state hunters attempt to pass
themselves off as residents, primarily for two reasons: (1) the allocation of tags for residents
for bears, antelope, elk, and other species requiring tags is greater than for nonresidents; and
(2) they can save a great deal of money: in Idaho recently, a combined hunting and fishing
license and an elk tag cost a resident $66.75 versus $472.25 for the nonresident.
XI. The Role of Outfitters, Guides, and Landowners in Trophy Poaching
Trophy poaching offenders include both residents and nonresidents with each playing different
yet complimentary roles in poaching activities. The residents who are familiar with the poaching
XII. The Role of Taxidermists in Trophy Poaching
After poachers illegally kill trophy wildlife, they will find it necessary to obtain the services of a
taxidermist in order to preserve their trophy specimens. Taxidermists are the individuals who
XIII. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensic Laboratory: A Tool to Fight Poaching
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Prior to 1988, wildlife law enforcement officers at the federal and state levels were at a distinct
disadvantage in taking their cases to a prosecutor because they had little or no access to wildlife-
In order to accomplish their assigned mission and to meet the forensic needs of wildlife law
enforcement officers at the federal, state, and international levels, a lab’s forensic specialists
XIV. Environmental Crimes
A. The Legal and Enforcement Framework
There are roughly 18 major federal environmental laws that form the basis for Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) programs. From this maze of laws, three patterns of enforcement
emerge regarding:
• Acts over which only the federal government has jurisdiction
B. Provisions of State RCRA Laws
Many states have enacted laws that are very similar to the federal RCRA. Among the
common provisions of these laws are these:
• Identification and listing of hazardous wastes.
• Establishment of permit and license systems regarding various types of hazardous
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C. Investigative Methods
Patrolling officers should be alert for signs that indicate the possibility or presence of illegal
dumping of hazardous waste. Officers should approach suspected hazardous-waste spills and
toxic-waste sites with the wind at their backs and from the highest ground reasonably