Corbett signs bill granting Conservation Officers use of body cameras

Posted on by Adam Kraut, Esq.

A new development in the Fish and Game code grants Waterway Conservation Officers (WCO), Game Commission Officers (GCO) and Wildlife Conservation Officers (WLCO) (but not their deputies) the ability to wear body cameras in the performance of their official duties. The new law requires that the individual must have received training on the use of body cameras in an approved course by the Pennsylvania State Police.

Waterway Conservation Officers are charged with enforcing the laws of the Commonwealth relating to fish and watercraft with the power to arrest individuals who violate the law. They also have the ability to search and seize, as well as, enter upon land or waterways in the performance of their duties.

Game Commission Officers and Wildlife Conservation Officers are charged with enforcing the laws of the Commonwealth relating to game or wildlife with the power to arrest individuals who violate the law. They also retain the power to search and seize, as well as, enter upon land or water in the performance of their duties.

What does this mean for you? If you have contact with a WCO, GCO or WLCO in the future, there is a high likelihood that they will be recording the interaction between themselves and you. This means that anything you say and/or do will be recorded and could possibly be used against you at a later time if you are charged in a court of law. As a result of the training requirement, the admission of any video or audio recording could provide some interesting avenues for suppression, if the attorney is cognizant of the issue.

Interactions with WCO, GCO or WLCO should be treated in the same manner as an interaction with the police. You, as an individual, still retain your Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures and your Fifth Amendment right to not incriminate yourself. As such, you should not consent to any searches, no matter what the officer offers or threatens nor should you make any statements against your self-interest.

Published by Adam Kraut, Esq.

Adam Kraut was born and raised in Chester County, PA. Active in scouting since kindergarten, Adam achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in 2004. After graduating high school, Adam attended SUNY Binghamton where he graduated in 2009 with a major in Political Science concentrating in politics and law. After taking a year away from academics, Adam attended Widener Law School at night while maintaining a day job and graduated in 2014. Adam is an avid firearms enthusiast, whose love for firearms began in Boy Scouts at Camp Horseshoe. Adam’s experience in the firearms industry as the general manager of a Federal Firearms Licensee, who is a Class 3 dealer, gives him a working knowledge of the challenges the industry, licensees and individuals face on a daily basis. Having worked with industry leaders, individual licensees and individuals both from behind the counter and in a legal context, Adam is in a unique position to give advice with insight others may not have. In addition to being active in the courtroom, Adam is politically active to ensure that the Second Amendment rights of future generations continue to be protected. He is the host of The Gun Collective‘s show, The Legal Brief, where he dispels the various legal myths and misinformation in the gun world. In his free time, Adam volunteers with his old Boy Scout troop, cranks out ammunition behind the reloading press, can be found at the range training, enjoys hiking through the woods and cares for his small pack of dogs.

5 thoughts on “Corbett signs bill granting Conservation Officers use of body cameras”

  1. Thank you for this “heads-up”. Very valuable information. I don’t know about the rest of the state, but in NW Pennsylvania, they act like neo-nazi’s.

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    1. You’re welcome. It’s been seen with law enforcement that the body cameras protect both the citizen and the officer barring any “malfunctions”. Hopefully that will trickle over to the game enforcement side of things.

      Now, whether WCO, GCO and WLCOs will wear them is another question as they must have been through an approved course. And remember, a deputy is not included so they won’t be wearing them.

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