The Sikes Act mandates that natural resources law enforcement be provided on military lands, and the DoD has developed very general law enforcement policy in DoD Directive 4715.3. However, comprehensive DoD law enforcement policy is lacking and each military service has historically addressed the subject individually on an installation-by-installation basis. This has included a range of law enforcement options ranging from employment of civilian game wardens, military police, or combinations of civilian game wardens and military police.
In 2013, the DoD established the Conservation Law Enforcement Program (CLEP) (DoD 2013). The purpose of this program is to provide a general framework for law enforcement across the military services including specifying authority, powers, and jurisdiction of DoD natural resource law enforcement. CLEP also provides job descriptions, training objectives, and other guidance for coordinating, training and staffing natural resource law enforcement across all military installations.
Next Page: Cooperation conservation efforts
Author
J. Douglas Ripley, Environmental Consultant U.S. Air Force (Retired)
With updates and Additional contributions by: James van Ness, Senior Level Attorney Advisor Office of the Secretary of Defense
Other issues of conservation significance and the policies which govern them
Other issues of conservation significance and the policies which govern them
Cooperation conservation efforts