HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has graduated eight new Waterways Conservation Officers following 49 weeks of law enforcement and conservation training, including one officer assigned to southern Chester County.
The officers graduated Friday during a ceremony at the Pennsylvania State Capitol and are scheduled to begin their assignments across the commonwealth next week, the commission stated.
Among the graduates, Owen Trimbull of Bear Lake has been assigned to southern Chester County. The remaining officers will serve in Berks, Delaware, Northampton, northern Luzerne, western Schuylkill, southern York, northern Susquehanna/eastern Bradford and other regions of Pennsylvania.
Before receiving their assignments, the recruits completed a 49-week training program covering municipal policing and conservation law enforcement.
The program included 17 weeks of Municipal Police Officers Basic Training at Mansfield University in Tioga County, followed by 32 weeks at the Fish and Boat Commission’s H.R. Stackhouse School of Fishery Conservation and Watercraft Safety in Bellefonte. The curriculum also included field training alongside experienced Waterways Conservation Officers.
The officers’ responsibilities include enforcing fish and boating laws, patrolling rivers, lakes and streams, conducting environmental investigations, participating in public outreach programs and assisting with fish stocking operations.
Col. Jeffrey Sabo, director of the commission’s Bureau of Law Enforcement, stated that the graduates had completed extensive training and were prepared to begin serving Pennsylvania’s anglers, boaters and aquatic resources.
In addition to the graduating class, the commission reassigned six veteran Waterways Conservation Officers to new patrol areas across the state. The transfers include Blake Anderson to Warren County, Zachary Christy to southern Westmoreland/northern Fayette counties, Andrew Fish to McKean County, Derrick Noonan to Clearfield County, Cassidy Shawley to Potter County and Tom Watson to Tioga County.
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