MDWFP to Graduate 21 New Conservation Officers

JACKSON-The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) will host a graduation ceremony for its 2014 Cadet Class on January 15 at 10 a.m. at the Livingston Performing Arts and Media Center at Roosevelt State Park in Morton. This event is open to the public. Twenty-one cadets successfully completed 12 weeks of basic Law Enforcement Training at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers Training Academy (MLEOTA) followed by an additional 13 weeks of specialized, training at the MDWFP Conservation Officer Training Academy (MCOTA) in such areas as: • Firearms • GPS/Land Navigation • Water Survival • Wilderness First Aid and Tactical Medicine • Hunting Incident and Boating Accident Investigation • Search and Rescue Tactics • Boating and Field Sobriety • Wildlife Forensics • Officer Safety and Control Tactics • Commercial Fishing Enforcement “These new conservation officers will fill critical vacancies necessary to accomplish the mission of MDWFP,” says Col. Steve Adcock, MDWFP Chief of Law Enforcement. “Ensuring the safety of all Mississippians and responding to the needs of our communities are top priorities for MDWFP.” Graduates will now be paired with experienced officers for field training in the counties in which they have been assigned. MDWFP Conservation Officers receive the most specialized training in state law enforcement and are charged with enforcing natural resource conservation laws in addition to other state and federal laws.