| TIDRC,
principle instructor John Ockels provide all levels of
training for active enforcement officers and policy
officials responsible for providing these programs to
their citizens.
Illegal
Dumping Enforcement Training
These full-day classes
provide basic training for enforcement officers in Texas
criminal laws best suited to be used to control illegal
dumping and illegal burning. The course focuses on Texas
Health & Safety Code Chapters 341,
343, and 365
as well as Texas Water Code Chapter
7(E) and the Texas Outdoor Burning rule [30 Texas
Administrative Code 111(b)]. Participants include local
criminal environmental enforcement officers, police
officers and deputy sheriffs, sheriffs, police chiefs,
mayors, city managers, and municipal code enforcement
officers. In addition to teaching the elements of
anti-dumping laws in Texas and discussing effective means
of enforcing these laws, the class also provides civil
municipal code enforcement officers an excellent
opportunity to learn how they can work with their police
department to move "beyond code enforcement" in
particularly difficult cases. This class has been
approved for eight continuing education hours for code
enforcement officers and registered sanitarians by the
Department of State Health Services, and carries eight
TCLEOSE hours for peace officers.
Coordinated
Local Environmental Enforcement
Coordinated
Criminal Environmental Enforcement
Depending on the
participants, this class has the option of going deeply
into Texas criminal environmental enforcement or focusing
on more general interactions. Texas state laws give
enormous local environmental enforcement powers to cities
and counties. These enforcement powers generally fall into
the following categories: (1) municipal code enforcement;
(2) criminal health nuisance enforcement; (3) criminal
environmental enforcement; and, (4) environmental civil
suits for violations of primary state environmental
statutes and the rules, orders and permits flowing from
these statutes. While the full use of these powers has
been given to local governments, fee use them to their
fullest capability to create a safe, healthy and
prosperous community. This class will use a case study
method focusing on illegal dumping, water pollution and
illegal waste burning to show the way that communities can
take a more comprehensive approach to solving local
problems. We will also focus on the blocks to developing
coordinated local enforcement programs and ways to
overcome these blocks. This class includes one hour credit
for code enforcement officers in legislative/legal
updates. This class has been approved for six continuing education
hours for code enforcement officers and registered
sanitarians by the Department of State Health Services,
and carries six TCLEOSE hours for peace officers.
Foreclosure
and Property Enforcement
Foreclosures have made the jobs of code and environmental
enforcement more difficult for cities and counties across
the state, and things don't promise to get any easier. The
purpose of this class is to focus on special problems in
code and environmental enforcement caused by increased
home foreclosures and vacant properties. The instructional
techniques will include (1) lectures, (2) analysis of
common scenarios, and (3) participant discussion of
techniques. This class has been approved for six
continuing education hours for code enforcement officers
and registered sanitarians by the Department of State
Health Services, and carries six TCLEOSE hours for peace
officers.
Senior
Official Illegal Dumping Workshops
These short (three-hour) workshops provide the
opportunity for senior elected officials and professional
staff to come together with an expert facilitator from
TIDRC to focus on local anti-dumping programs. The object
is to learn about enforcement options, ask questions, and
generally work through the policy issues involved in
establishing or growing an effective local enforcement
program. Participants commonly include county judges,
commissioners, sheriffs, county and district attorneys,
misdemeanor and felony judges, police chiefs, county
planners, city managers and enforcement officer
management. Topics and issues generally touch on program
funding options, public education, internal reporting
structure for enforcement officers, and facilitating local
prosecutors in working these crimes against property and
health into their normal processes. This short course is
provided in "pairs," usually one in the morning
and another in the afternoon at the same or other nearby
location. This class has been approved for three
continuing education hours for code enforcement officers
and registered sanitarians by the Department of State
Health Services, and carries three TCLEOSE hours for peace
officers.
Illegal
Burning Update
These three-hour workshops are designed for any government
official or employee to discuss and learn the new
provisions of the Texas Outdoor Burning rule. The
differences between TCEQ administrative enforcement and
local jurisdiction criminal enforcement of the rule will
be discussed. All aspects of the revised rule are
addressed, and those provisions permitting burning of
plant growth waste – both inside and outside cities –
are fully reviewed. Participants from cities wishing to
prohibit or otherwise regulate burning plant growth waste
through local ordinance are encouraged to discuss their
current ordinance with their city attorney. The class will
also focus on understanding the felony burning provisions
of Texas Water Code Secs. 7.182 and 7.183, and local
enforcement of these two burning criminal laws will be
discussed. This course is ideal for volunteer and paid
fire fighters. This short course is provided in
"pairs," usually one in the morning and another
in the afternoon at the same or other nearby
location.
Special
Projects
TIDRC also works with Keep Texas Beautiful and other
organizations to provide specialized training and develop
enforcement material. If you have a special project in
your jurisdiction that includes illegal dumping education,
please give the opportunity to get involved. |
