Houston Police Department Environmental Investigations Unit Commander Dwayne

Houston Police Department Environmental Investigations Unit Commander Dwayne Ready Major Offenders Division February 11, 2020

Environmental Investigations Unit • Tasked with investigating all crimes with an environmental nexus in the City of Houston. The majority of cases are worked as follow-ups. Investigators are on call to respond to major scenes. • Cases include Water Pollution; Hazardous Waste Dumping; Air Pollution; Major illegal dumping cases. • Focus is on criminal investigations. Follow-ups also involve coordination of site remediation (requests for removal of waste and/or environmental restoration). 1

Large Scale Investigations. Environmental include: Investigations Unit • Company releasing benzene adjacent to a residential neighborhood. • Releasing of hazardous wastes into the Houston Ship Channel (monitored by weekly Ship Channel patrols). • Covert releases of oil and hazardous wastes into city storm drains. • Plant Explosion Investigations (Most recent-January 2020). • Mercury Spill incident (December 2019). Cooperative Partnerships • The Unit houses investigators from the Environmental Protection Agency, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. • Training Partnership with HPD Differential Response Teams (DRT) at Patrol Divisions • Partnerships with multiple City Departments • Health Department, Public Works, Solid Waste Management Department, Department of Neighborhoods, Industrial Waste Water 2

Illegal Dumping • A Defendant intentionally or knowingly dispose, allow or permit the disposal of litter or other solid waste. Texas Health and Safety Code, Sec. 365. Penalties range from Class C Misdemeanor to State Jail Felony, based on the aggregate weight of the waste. • Most cases involve solid wastes having an aggregate weight of more than 5 pounds (Class B Misdemeanor). 3

Illegal Dumping or Something Else? • Issues sometimes arise as a many cases involve individuals placing trash on empty lots within their own neighborhoods. • Class C violations; Improper Trash placement, Early placement of heavy trash, the District Attorney’s Office will not prosecute in these instances.

5 year information 2014 • Dumping Cases Investigated: 641 • Unit Staffing: 15 2019 • Dumping Cases Investigated: 443 • Unit Staffing: 12* • Other Environmental Cases Investigated in 2019: 668 • 263 Dumping Cases worked by DRT Units • Improvements to Process • Upgraded Surveillance Cameras/software platform for monitoring dumping sites • Training program with HPD Differential Response Team • Providing tools and training to better investigate and deal with lower level illegal dumping investigations such as misdemeanors and when it may be possible neighborhood issues. • Community Outreach programs *The Environmental Investigations Unit currently has three openings for civilian staff positions: two Community Service Inspectors and one Community Liaison. 5