The DNR Division of Law Enforcement held graduation ceremonies today at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. Fifteen new Indiana Conservation Officers officially joined the division during the event.
Conservation Officer Matt Landis, the 2020 James D. Pitzer Officer of the Year, administered the oath of office to the recruits, who will fill positions in various locations around the state.
The new officers represent the 40th recruit class of conservation officers, the oldest state law enforcement agency in Indiana.
The officers and their assignment locations (by county, in parentheses) are Deangela Bailey (Boone), Austin Bolt (Wayne), David Delph (Tipton), Caden Graber (Putnam), Paul Greene (Montgomery), Nick Hartman (Steuben), Charles Martin (Vigo), Shiloh Mast (Franklin), Jakob Maxwell (St. Joseph), Adonia Meiss (Lake), Jonah Mikel (Elkhart), Claire Mitchell (Scott), Hunter Smalley (LaGrange), Nathaniel Stadick (Union), and Blake Van Syoc (LaPorte).
The new officers completed six weeks of recruit training and will next attend the 15-week basic law enforcement academy. Upon completion of the academy, officers will complete additional specialized training before doing 90 shifts of field training.
The Indiana DNR employs 214 conservation officers who, in addition to enforcing state laws, are often called upon to help during emergencies and natural disasters. They also engage in non-law enforcement activities such as outdoor instructional programs that include boater, hunter, snowmobile, and trapper education. DNR Law Enforcement’s river rescue, cave rescue, underwater search and recovery, and K-9 teams are specialty response units available statewide whenever needed.