When the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Operation Game Thief program was rolled out in 2015, the response was dramatic.
Within the first three weeks, more than 200 tips were submitted through the program’s toll-free number (1-888-PGC-8001) or an online submission form. Since then, the use of the program, which aims to make it easy for people to report wildlife crimes, hasn’t waned.
According to Chad Eyler, chief of the PGC’s Special Permits Enforcement Division, the game thief program collects approximately 1,500 tips each year. The total is the third-highest in the nation, he said, trailing only Texas and Florida.
“That’s quite a bit,” Eyler said, adding that hunting season represents the peak of activity for the OGT program. “It’s really been quite successful.”
And quick.
It takes an average of 20 minutes from the time a tip comes in to when a dispatcher gets it to a game warden. Eyler said the turnaround time has been decreasing, and in some cases it takes just a few minutes before a tip is received by the game warden of the corresponding area where the incident took place.
“It’s probably one of the quickest in the nation,” Eyler said.
The fast turnaround time is directly responsible for charges being filed in some cases.
Brian Sheetz, chief of the Bureau of Wildlife Protection Administrative Division, referenced the case of a call that came in during October. A tip was submitted through OGT of a hunter harvesting a deer over bait, Sheetz said, and the dispatcher got the information to the game warden, who arrived on the scene quickly enough to find the deer with an arrow, bait and the hunter still on site.
“It was all within a 40-minute timeframe,” Sheetz said. “It happens a lot.”
While OGT has proven to be successful, the agency has taken steps to continue to raise awareness of the program.
Last year, the Game Commission launched a separate Facebook page for Operation Game Thief to bring attention to cases and generate tips. As of Nov. 7, the page had more than 4,400 followers. The program is also promoted in the agency’s Hunting and Trapping Digest, along with advertising through different forms of media.
Operation Game Thief accepts calls to the hotline 24 hours a day, all year long. While the focus is on crimes that involve the illegal take of big game or threatened or endangered species, Eyler said they are happy to receive tips on other wildlife-related crimes.
“People have sent in reports of littering on game lands and state forest – don’t be afraid to submit any information,” he said. “Anything that may potentially be a wildlife crime, we’re interested in it.”
Eyler stressed that all information is confidential but it’s important to leave contact details in case a game warden has questions about the tip.
There’s also a financial incentive to report possible wildlife crimes to the OGT system. According to Eyler, if a guilty conviction is reached in a big game or threatened or endangered species case, the judge can tack on an additional penalty, and part of it can be used to pay an informant. The Conservation Officers of Pennsylvania organization also contributes $50 gift cards and other awards to be given to informants that provided information critical to a case.
“With this program, we want to make it easy for people to communicate with us,” Eyler said. “Every call is answered and dispatch is rather quick.”
