A Dangerous Job? An Examination of Violence against Conservation Officers
| Author | Stephen L. Eliason |
| DOI | 10.1350/pojo.2006.79.4.359 |
| Published date | 01 December 2006 |
| Date | 01 December 2006 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
STEPHEN L. ELIASON
Assistant Professor of Sociology, Dept Native American
Studies, Political Science and Sociology, Montana State
University-Billings
A DANGEROUS JOB? AN
EXAMINATION OF VIOLENCE
AGAINST CONSERVATION
OFFICERS
Conservation law enforcement is an area of policing that has
been largely overlooked by sociologists and criminal justice
researchers. Some have speculated that when compared to their
traditional police officer counterparts, conservation officers
face greater dangers on the job. However, little if any research
has been directed towards violence against conservation
officers. Using a qualitative approach to data collection, this
descriptive and exploratory study examined the nature of
assaults on Kentucky conservation officers. Conservation
officers reported that while physical assaults did occur period-
ically, they were relatively rare events. Verbal abuse from
recreationists was much more common.
Rural crime and policing of such crime have been largely
overlooked in the criminological literature (Bristow, 1982). One
type of rural policing in America that has received little attention
is conservation law enforcement. Conservation officers (COs)
are the law enforcement personnel whose primary responsibility
is the enforcement of fish and wildlife laws. While they possess
some similarities to their traditional law enforcement counter-
parts, there are also unique aspects of this type of policing. COs
generally work alone, in remote rural areas where back-up
assistance from other officers is virtually nonexistent. As there is
usually only one CO per county they often lack opportunities to
socialise with fellow officers (Walsh & Donovan, 1984), which
can contribute to increased levels of stress. Also they deal with
armed recreationists on a routine basis in the US.
It has been noted that conservation law enforcement agencies
are in the midst of a transition from a specialised branch of law
enforcement to a generalist law enforcement orientation (Fal-
cone, 2004). COs are increasingly being asked to take on
recreational law enforcement tasks (Morse, 1973; Sherblom,
The Police Journal, Volume 79 (2006) 359
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