Toxic Waste Crimes Swamp Special Unit

Los Angeles Police Officer Michael Hagen told the story of a Sylmar man who tried to leave for work one morning but couldn’t because of an unwanted gift blocking his garage door.

“It was a big drum of plating waste,” the toxic byproduct of chrome and nickel plating production, said Hagen, a member of the LAPD’s Hazardous Materials / Environmental Crimes Unit.

No surprise to him, Hagen said, because hundreds of steel and plastic drums of hazardous waste are illegally dropped off at curbsides, in alleys and on other people’s property every year throughout the San Fernando Valley.

“We’ve had people find drums in people’s driveways and backyards,” said Hagen. “Any places where it is dark or there is not too much activity are prime areas, like cul-de-sacs in industrial areas. Some drums sit for months without being discovered.”

Depending on the type of toxic waste, proper disposal can cost hundreds of dollars, which is why Hagen calls most violations “crimes of economy.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever interviewed anyone who was out to endanger the environment,” said Hagen. “They’re not trying to damage the environment, they’re trying to save money.”

But whatever their motives, improperly disposing of drums of toxic materials is usually a felony, punishable by up to 9 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 for each day the material was illegally abandoned. More often than not, these crimes are nearly impossible to solve.

“There are no serial numbers or license numbers on the drums, so they’re virtually untraceable,” Hagen said. “We average several cases a week, but our solution rate on abandoned-drum capers is pretty low.”

Hagen’s five-person unit is responsible for HazMat, or hazardous materials, crimes throughout the city and is in charge of training other LAPD officers in how to deal with HazMat crimes and enforce laws governing vehicles hauling corrosive or flammable substances.

Even though the LAPD unit pools resources with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the California Department of Toxic Substance Control and the city Fire Department’s HazMat team, it is swamped with hundreds of cases each year.

“Enforcement of these laws is limited by the number of people we have,” said HazMat Officer Christy Donorovich.

About 50% of all HazMat cases involve petroleum products such as engine oil or paint, Hagen said.

“The real common variety is two quarts of oil on the curb,” he said.

But public awareness campaigns and outreach programs like the city’s Household Hazardous Waste Hotline coupled with widespread toxic materials collection points have reduced illegally dumped hazardous waste, Hagen said.

LAPD HazMat officers spend a great deal of time enforcing state laws on transporting waste and chemicals on city roads and highways. Eventually, such cargo usually finds its way in or through the San Fernando Valley because many of the trucks coming from northern parts of the state use the Golden State or Hollywood freeways. The Valley is also a center for industry in Southern California and a major producer of hazardous materials in its own right.

Although Hagen acknowledged that the relatively small number of HazMat officers couldn’t inspect each truckload of hazardous materials, every one stopped is a deterrent.

“That sends a message out there to other companies that there is a chance that your truck could be inspected, too,” he said.