Rhode Island’s Environmental Police Division Nears Full Staffing

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Environmental police monitoring Rhode Island's natural resources to ensure public safety.

News Summary

Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management is set to achieve full staffing for its Division of Law Enforcement for the first time in nearly two decades. With recruitment challenges resulting in significant staff shortages, recent budget changes have led to enhanced benefits and improved hiring processes. This shift aims to bolster patrol efforts on state-owned land and waters, ensuring better enforcement of environmental regulations and public safety amidst evolving challenges in recruitment.

Providence, Rhode Island

Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Law Enforcement is on track to achieve full staffing for the first time in two decades. With a target of 32 officers, this milestone comes amid ongoing recruitment struggles that have long hindered the division’s operational capacity. Deputy Chief Mike Schipritt, who was promoted in 2024, will now have reduced responsibilities related to hiring paperwork, allowing for a more efficient recruitment process.

The recruitment challenges faced by the environmental police have resulted in significant staffing shortages, complicating patrol efforts on state-owned land and waters. For many years, these shortages left the division with only two or three officers on duty during night shifts, limiting their ability to respond to incidents effectively. However, recent changes in the fiscal 2025 budget have begun to improve recruitment conditions.

To entice new officers, the budget adjustments have included enhanced retirement benefits, relaxed degree requirements, and a salary increase for positions within the environmental police. In 2020, efforts to recruit were significantly impeded by a deteriorating public perception of law enforcement, as local police departments began offering more attractive retirement packages, further straining the recruitment pipeline for the Division of Law Enforcement.

As of January 1, more than 340 state public safety workers have been granted new pension benefits comparable to those of municipal police and firefighters. These pension changes feature a lowered retirement age and a raised retirement allowance, essentially reversing cuts made in 2012. However, the state will need to contribute an additional estimated $3.8 million per year to the pension fund over the next 20 years to offset an expected $17 million increase in accrued liabilities due to the new benefits. At the close of the previous fiscal year, Rhode Island’s pension fund for state employees had recorded a significant unfunded liability of $2.1 billion.

Enhanced Recruitment Strategies

Michael Woods, chair of the New England chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, has emphasized the significance of competitive benefits in retaining environmental police. Members of the division are responsible for enforcing regulations concerning marine activities, alongside the oversight of commercial and recreational fishing, and wildlife protection. The environmental police provide round-the-clock patrols to safeguard Rhode Island’s natural resources, which include managing over 66,000 hunting and fishing licenses sold annually.

The division’s scope extends beyond environmental law enforcement to include responding to various types of criminal activity, such as vandalism and domestic disputes. Despite ongoing efforts, the division has had to advertise officer positions 20 times over the past five years due to attrition from retirements and resignations.

Changes in Recruitment Requirements

To attract new candidates, entry-level officer education requirements have been relaxed, now only necessitating a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies or criminal justice. The starting salaries for environmental police officers have also seen a notable increase, climbing by as much as 20% to range between approximately $73,517 and $82,725.

New recruits, like Officer Lucas Walter, who has a passion for the outdoors and conservation, express optimism about building a long-term career with the Division of Law Enforcement, especially following the implementation of improved benefits. The officers within the division have also proven their capabilities in emergency response situations, successfully rescuing victims from a plane crash in March 2024.

Reassessing Public Perception

Misunderstandings regarding the division’s responsibilities have often led to skepticism about their authority as law enforcement officers. Many potential candidates remain unaware of the necessary educational prerequisites, contributing to the ongoing recruitment issues. The environmental police play a vital role not only in wildlife protection but also in the enforcement of state regulations designed to conserve Rhode Island’s ecological assets, making it crucial that the division reaches full staffing for the benefit of the state.