James Willcutt

Geographic Information Systems in Wildlife Law Enforcement

Geographic information systems (GIS) have been used in wildlife and fisheries management and research for many years. These systems are not being used, however, to the fullest potential in conservation law enforcement. At present, there are only 5 conservation law enforcement agencies in the United States using GIS. In Mississippi a GIS is being developed for use in conservation law enforcement. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, in conjunction with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries at Mississippi State University, is involved in the development of this...

Geographic Information Systems: A Valuable Tool for Wildlife Law Enforcement

Geographic information systems (GIS) have become a commonly used technology in nearly all aspects of wildlife management except wildlife law enforcement. Law enforcement agencies in large municipalities have also been using GIS extensively to provide better and more efficient enforcement. All states in the Southeast have wildlife violation data in some database that can very quickly and easily link to available county spatial data. Pictorial examination of these data by county on a state-wide basis provides chiefs and supervisors an effective and easy way to evaluate existing programs....