On the Job 

Recognizing the growing toll that open dumping and open burning are having on communities in Ohio, Attorney General Yost and his environmental team created Shine a Light on Dumpers, a collaborative initiative involving BCI special agents and attorneys in his office and local law enforcement agencies.

The initiative, launched in April 2023, targets a problem that wasn't being addressed effectively by any other local, state or federal agency — specifically, criminals who use their property or someone else’s to illegally dispose of scrap tires, trash, garbage and other solid waste from industrial, commercial, agricultural and community operations.

In late October, the International Association of Chiefs of Police celebrated the success of Shine a Light on Dumpers by awarding the Attorney General’s Office the Chief David Cameron Leadership in Environmental Crimes Award. The prestigious award recognizes agencies that have improved their communities through environmental crimes prevention, investigation and enforcement.

“Ohio is not anyone’s garbage can,” Yost said. “This award is proof that when local partners join forces and have access to the right tools, environmental crime doesn’t stand a chance.”

The attorney general’s Environmental Enforcement Section has two units that deal with environmental crimes: One is a BCI team that provides investigative assistance and technical equipment; the other is the Criminal Prosecution Unit.

Although the units often work cases referred to them by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency or the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, they also work directly with local law enforcement agencies and prosecutor’s offices.

The full scope of Shine a Light on Dumpers encompasses training, education, legal guidance, technical equipment, and investigative and prosecutorial assistance. Experts from the Attorney General’s Office provide these resources to local law enforcement agencies so that those agencies (with help from the public) are equipped to put a stop to illegal dumping in their communities.

As part of the initiative, Yost’s office in April awarded $1 million in grants to Ohio communities seeking to clean up illegal dump sites and deter future offenses. The grants are funded by settlement dollars secured by Yost’s office. Twenty-nine grants were awarded for projects in communities in every region of Ohio.