Diverse. A word that aptly describes the type of work law enforcement officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) do. Diverse also applies to the backgrounds of 36 FWC recruits who were sworn in recently after graduating from the agency's law enforcement academy.
Their ages range from 20 to 55. The group included a captain in the Marine Corps Reserve and eight others who served in the military. Most have advanced degrees. Some came from northern states; one hails from Canada. Although all will work in the woods, two originate from the big city of Miami. One of the graduates is the great-grandson of a state game warden who pursued plume hunters in the early 1900s. Plume hunters killed hundreds of thousands of birds to supply feathers to decorate women's hats.
"Our classes are typically diverse," said Lt. Charles Boyd III of the FWC academy. "The desire to work outdoors and protect our natural resources attracts all kinds of people - Florida natives, northerners, hunters, hikers and rural and urban dwellers. But, they are all in it for the right reasons."
This particular class participated in an active case while training. On Oct. 23, the recruits were asked to assist in the search for a homicide victim in a rural area. Three recruits located the grave. The suspect shot himself at the scene, and several recruits and Boyd helped apprehend the suspect and provided medical aid.
"They had a chance to get involved in an active investigation and they excelled," Boyd said. "They've got great careers ahead of them."
The FWC recruits became officers Nov. 6 after graduating from the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy in Tallahassee.
The new officers attended the academy for six months and received a wide array of training, which included accuracy with firearms, vessel operation, defensive tactics, all-terrain vehicle operation and BUI/DUI identification. They will spend an additional 14 weeks with a field-training officer.
The FWC's Division of Law Enforcement protects and manages more than 575 species of wildlife and more than 700 species of fish. The division patrols 34 million acres of public and private land, 8,426 miles of tidal shoreline, 3 million acres of lakes and 12,000 miles of fishable rivers and streams. FWC officers are authorized to enforce all state laws and federal fisheries and wildlife laws.
The graduates and the counties to which they are assigned are as follows:
1. Jacob Ahlers Pinellas
2. Kevin Balfour Nassau
3. Brian Beeler Hillsborough
4. William Bell Lee
5. Adam Bonaventura Hernando
6. Tracey Bontrager Polk
7. Brent Bowlen Alachua
8. Jeff Brown Polk
9. Joel Buckson Manatee
10. Ryan Crane Citrus
11. Aaron Devenuta Collier
12. Alex Dinu Miami-Dade
13. James Fillip Palm Beach
14. Brian Fugate Monroe
15. Robert Geib Duval
16. Jeffery Goggin Okeechobee
17. Karl Hellett Gulf
18. Lewis Hoover Monroe
19. Ronald Howard II Charlotte
20. Dana Klein St. Johns
21. Matthew Raczek Miami-Dade
22. Stephen Rice Lee
23. David Robison Monroe
24. Carolyn Russo Okeechobee
25. Brian Sierra Palm Beach
26. Traci Stebbins Duval
27. Matthew Steelfox Citrus
28. Brett Swensson Monroe
29. James Symecko Okeechobee
30. Andrew Taylor Glades
31. Timothy Hinds Manatee
32. Kenneth Trusley Osceola
33. Thomas VanTrees Collier
34. Joshua Waite Franklin
35. Chad Weber Lake
36. Scott Wiggins Clay
