The British Columbia Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) is responsible for protecting the environment and

natural resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

. Conservation officers are

peace officer A law enforcement officer (LEO), or peace officer in North American English, is a public-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the enforcement of laws. The phrase can include campaign disclosure specialists, local police officers, prose ...

s, armed, and enforce 6 federal statutes and 25 provincial statutes, including the ''Species at Risk Act'', ''Liquor Control and Licensing Act'', ''Wildlife Act'' and ''Environmental Management Act''. The Province of BC states: "Conservation Officers are highly trained, dedicated individuals ..they hold Special Provincial Constable Status under the Police Act and have unrestricted appointment to enforce Acts and Statues, and protect the public and preserve the peace. They work with private and public partners such as the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations Resource Officers, the RCMP, Environment Canada, the Department of Fisheries, First Nations, and local and provincial stakeholders to reduce human-wildlife conflict." The COS is headquartered at Victoria and operates out of 44 office locations. The COS is involved in outreach and education, compliance monitoring and verification, public reporting, investigations and enforcement actions.

History and highlights

On July 1, 1905, British Columbia established the department for the Protection of Game and Forests, hired the first game and forest warden which eventually grew into the BCCOS today. From 1918 to 1929, game wardens were abolished and the

British Columbia Provincial Police The British Columbia Provincial Police (BCPP) was the provincial police service of British Columbia, Canada, between 1858 and 1950. One of the first law enforcement agencies in North America, the British Columbia Provincial Police was forme ...

took over the responsibility of enforcing wildlife legislations. In 1961, game wardens were officially renamed "conservation officers". In 1980, Conservation Officer Services became a distinct part of the ministry. In 1983, conservation officers are appointed as special provincial constable. Up until 1987, all COs were males. Between the years of 1997–2000, COs were given a much wider authority in their law enforcement duties, including the ability to conduct

surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as ...

, seize property and to

arrest An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be questi ...

and detain. In 2002, chief conservation officer became a legislated position and was placed in charge of BCCOS. They can now designate anyone to become conservation officers, auxiliary conservation officers or special conservation officers, depending on the needs of the agency. July 1, 2005, marked the 100th anniversary of the first appointment of a game warden.

Officers

At one time the service had regular and seasonal officers. Currently, there are full-time regular and special conservation officers.

Ranks

Conservation officer A conservation officer is a law enforcement officer who protects wildlife and the environment. A conservation officer may also be referred to as an environmental technician or technologist, game warden, forest ranger, forest watcher, forest g ...

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

Sergeant Sergeant ( abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other ...

Staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, superv ...

Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

* Deputy chief conservation officer * Chief conservation officer

Controversy

Conservation officers are sometimes required to euthanize wildlife they deem a risk to public safety or property. However, not all euthanizings are straightforward, and much controversy has arisen in recent years.

Casavant v British Columbia

In spring of 2015, Conservation Officer Bryce Casavant did not follow orders to kill the two cubs of a female bear who was killed after she continued to raid a freezer full of meat and salmon. Casavant took the cubs to a veterinary hospital, and they were then transferred to a rehabilitation facility which eventually released them into their natural environment. He was suspended for refusing to follow the order, despite the cubs showing no signs of being a danger to people or property. The suspension, and subsequent public outcry, generated international media attention, including a tweet from popular British comedian Ricky Gervais. The two bear cubs the Conservation Officer Service ordered killed were successfully rehabilitated and released by North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre.

Judicial review

The decision of a conservation officer to kill a healthy, potentially orphaned bear cub, before even seeing or evaluating it and with full knowledge that a wildlife rehabilitator was able and ready to accept the bear for rehabbing, lead to the launch of a series of complaints against the Conservation Officer Service and, ultimately, a petition for a judicial review with the Supreme Court. The Conservation Officer Service reviewed the initial complaint internally, and then reviewed the final decision internally. Both stated that the officer acted within the scope of his authority to kill the bear cub. The complaint was initiated by the witness who found the bear cub originally and wildlife non-profit The Fur-Bearers.

Handling and killing of bears

Accounts of bears being tranquilized and dying, falling out of trees, and the high number of bear cubs (bears of the year) killed compared to sent to rehabilitation have resulted in numerous media articles and critical questions about protocol, decision-making, and oversight. Another incident involving a bear which was cornered by a conservation officer on a marina and not given a means of escape is under examination in media and throughout social media. The officer responsible in this case is the same officer who ordered Officer Bryce Casavant to kill two bear cubs.

References

{{Law enforcement agencies in Canada Law enforcement agencies of British Columbia Government agencies established in 1980 1980 establishments in British Columbia