Posted on Jan 7, 2008

We are very pleased that Johnson County Sheriff’s Office has just been awarded a grant for an additional investigator for environmental crimes. Since 2002, we have had only one investigator assigned to this area of focus. In 2002, the Sheriff’s Office was able to implement a solid waste program in response to illegal dumpsites and other environmental concerns for citizens living in rural areas of the county. That program was possible through a similar grant, providing a coordinated effort of public and private partnerships between cities and counties through enforcement agencies and political organizational entities in order to reduce littering and illegal dumping. The addition of a second solid waste investigator will allow better coordination of training and enforcement throughout Johnson County. The solid waste investigators will coordinate efforts among state (Texas Commission for Environment Quality), county, and local entities, who will identify and investigate cases of illegal dumping and other environmental issues. Another goal of this program is coordination with TCEQ in establishing a North Texas Environmental Advisory Council. This council will enable investigators from other entities to meet and discuss cases and share resources, in order to help reduce environmental infractions on a regional basis. We are hoping to enhance an already established program by hiring an additional solid waste investigator. The focus of the enforcement program in Johnson County identifies illegal dumpsites and responds to calls from citizens, law enforcement, and other sources in order to investigate reports of illegal dumping. By doing this, we will provide assistance to other entities by investigation of environmental crimes or helping them establish their own programs. The JCSO investigators use traditional methods of investigation enhanced by modern technology. For example, digital photography and video, including surveillance equipment, properly document illegal dumpsites. We have high expectations that utilizing this careful documentation and technology, along with an already effective signage campaign, will allow our investigators to present compelling evidence, virtually undisputable, before the courts during prosecution. To give further muscle to this effort, JCSO investigators make in-house training available to deputies, prosecutors, and other officers as well. This includes participation in regional training to make officers more aware of environmental crimes, thus enabling them to take appropriate action. The result is a better environmental solid waste program with depth of enforcement on both a local and regional basis. Through this effort, we have identified tire dumping as a target area. Tire dumping has proved to be one of the more expensive types of waste, due to strict requirements for tire disposal. For the first time, Johnson County established tire disposal sites for a two-week period in 2007 at county precinct facilities. This program was a tremendous success and will continue to benefit citizens of our county in 2008, as a proactive approach to reducing the number of tires dumped throughout the county. An additional goal of this grant program is to find a sponsor to assist in creating a hazardous dump location where Johnson County residents can take materials such as paint, insecticide, fertilizer, anti-freeze, motor oil, etc. for disposal. Our focus will be to develop a partnership or potential grant funding to make these sites available. We will continue to educate the public, other governmental agencies, and law enforcement through formal and informal interaction. Because of this effort, we have been tremendously successful in thwarting illegal dumping and other environmental crimes. So successful that it has become necessary to hire another investigator to handle the work load. Statistics since the solid waste program’s inception are as follows: During the last quarter of 2002, there were 48 total cases reported involving illegal dumping. During this time there was little cooperation among agencies, and prosecution was virtually non-existent. When the JCSO investigator began working that same year, his role was to search out dumpsites and public nuisances, photograph and document sites. He would then attempt to file cases on the sites. By adding the investigative position, the number of reported cases in 2003 rose to 151. In 2004, JCSO and the Commissioner’s Court became involved in the Stop Illegal Dumping in Johnson County campaign. The focus was on bringing illegal dumping issues to the public’s attention, including other public officials and news agencies, along with a signage campaign. This effort has been very successful, as demonstrated by the steady increase of environmental cases reported. In 2004, there were 258 cases reported; in 2005, 410; in 2006, 634 cases; and through November of 2007, 640 cases were reported. We appreciate all the cooperation we have received on every level, including the support and prosecution of good cases filed, for the past four years. We will continue to serve the people of Johnson County with continued commitment to this vital program, and we are looking forward to utilizing two investigators to meet growing environmental concerns. Jan. 7, 2008 Bob Alford column Cleburne Eagle