Florida – -(OutdoorWire.com)- A new group of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) law enforcement officers will soon begin patrolling the woods and waters of the state.
Twenty-six FWC recruits became officers after graduating Friday from the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy in Tallahassee. The recruits attended the academy for six months and received a wide array of training, which included accuracy with firearms, alligator handling, vessel operation, defensive tactics, all-terrain vehicle operation and BUI/DUI identification. They will spend an additional three months with a field-training officer.
The new graduates are assigned to counties throughout the state. Two of the officers come from different states. Officer Jarod Molnar is from Georgia and is assigned to Palm Beach County, and Officer Evan Laskowski is from Maryland and is assigned to Glades County.
The FWC’s Division of Law Enforcement protects and manages 755 species of wildlife and more than 700 species of fish. The division patrols 34 million acres of public and private land, 8,200 miles of tidal shoreline, 3 million acres of lakes and 12,000 miles of rivers and streams. FWC officers are authorized to enforce all state laws and federal fisheries and wildlife laws.
The graduates and the counties they are assigned to are as follows:
Craig Baker – Broward
James Bonds – Alachua
Raquel Daniels – Monroe
Tiffany Davis – Monroe
Michael Davis – Okeechobee
Thomas Enos – Broward
Joshua Greenier – Monroe
Justin Henry – Citrus
Jordan Hilliard – DeSoto
Stephen Judah – Polk
Harold Lanier – Brevard
Evan Laskowski – Glades
Michael Milillio – Monroe
Jarod Molnar – Palm Beach
Christopher Pettey – Martin
Samuel Riggs – Citrus
Henry Rockwell – Hendry
Lonnie Sushil – Lee
Rene Taboas – Dade
Jamie Young – Palm Beach
Randolph Irwin – St. Lucie
Brandon Lasher – Marion
Sulin Schafer – Escambia
John Standland – Washington
Kevin Sweat – Polk
Jason Tidwell – Polk