News from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

For more information contact: Maureen Wren, 518-402-8000

Otsego County Environmental Conservation Officer Named “Officer of the Year”

by the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association

ALBANY, NY (09/18/2007; 1511)(readMedia)-- Environmental Conservation Officer Thomas Harrington was recently named “Officer of the Year” by the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis announced today. Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO) Harrington is a 19-year veteran with DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement. He is a dedicated, hardworking, professional whose record is replete with many accolades from the state and the public.

Commissioner Grannis said, “ECO Harrington consistently seeks out opportunities to assist the sportsman of Otsego County. His dedication to the hunter education program is outstanding and he interacts exceptionally well with young students to deliver our message of ethical and safe hunting.”

The New York State Rifle and Pistol Association (NYSRPA) recognizes one ECO each year, acknowledging the important role ECOs play in hunter education and safe firearms usage among sportsmen and women and youth. NYSRPA is the State’s leading organization in promoting rifle marksmanship and competition. The Association strives to recognize those who promote and personally participate in marksmanship competitions, and who encourage such participation by New York's youth.

ECO Harrington attended college at SUNY Cobleskill where he studied Fish and Wildlife Technology and Environmental Science. He received his Environmental Conservation Officer training in 1988 and began his career in Rockland County before transferring to Essex County in the Adirondacks in 1989. He moved to become an ECO in Otsego County in 1996, and that is where he continues to serve.

In 2006 ECO Harrington was responsible for the arrest of two subjects who were jacking deer in Otsego County. The investigation involved the illegal hunting of at least 18 deer which were recovered after being shot and left along the roads. The case was settled with total fines of $20,000, 60 days jail time, and three years probation. This was one of the largest jacking cases in State history, with dozens of additional deer believed to have been shot over the course of a three-week period.

ECO Harrington has been a driving force in the development of a youth pellet shoot at the Otsego County Fair. When introducing young people to the art of shooting, he works one on one with new shooters to teach shooting fundamentals, gun handling and safety. He has also volunteered many hours on the design and development of a portable target shooting trailer to be utilized throughout Otsego County for organizations such as the Boy Scouts to use during their spring Camporee at the Henderson Scout Reservation. ECO Harrington holds a lifetime sportsman license and is a strong supporter of the lifetime license program. Leading by example, he worked with the Otsego County Sportsman Federation on their sponsorship of a raffle for a lifetime sportsman’s license for a youth under 12 years of age. The response to this raffle was so positive that the Federation has decided to make it an annual part of the county fair exhibit.

ECO Harrington resides with his wife Susan, his son Matthew and daughter Ashley on the family farm in the Town of New Lisbon. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and camping with his family and spends each spring making maple syrup.