Thursday, July 12, 2007
Daily Southtown
by Jonathan Lipman Staff writer

All 77 police officers working for the Cook County Forest Preserve District now are better equipped to protect the preserve's bees and bobolinks as well as its picnickers and patrons.

District officials announced Wednesday the officers have completed conservation police training through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

"It's for (our officers) to be aware of what they can and can't do in terms of conservation policing," forest preserve Police Chief Richard Waszak said. "Last week, as an example, we had guys catching turtles in the forest preserve. That's illegal."

Each officer completed a 40-hour training course that ended with a certification test. Waszak said the training will become mandatory for any officer joining the force.

Officers learned about snowmobile and ATV use, boating and fishing laws, hunting laws and laws governing endangered species.

"We have endangered species, though we don't talk about them as much because we don't want people coming and taking them," Waszak said. "We've had problems with poaching. ... About 20 percent of our ordinance tickets are in fact for conservation-related incidents."

Department of Natural Resources deputy director Deborah Stone said the state agency was happy to work with the forest preserve district.

"IDNR only controls a small fraction of this land," Stone said. "We can do great things together."