LDWF WILDLIFE CADETS GRADUATE

By Captain Joey Broussard

 

Sixteen Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries law enforcement cadets graduated at LDWF headquarters in Baton Rouge on June 29. The class of 2001 includes fit and well­ trained young men from around the state who will be assigned to LDWF Enforce­ment Regions across Louisiana.

James Hagan of Oak Grove received the Academic Award for having the highest grade point average in the training class and also took top honors in firearms. Gary Richmond of Ruston received the John Garlington Physical Fitness Award. The award was named in honor of LDWF Capt. John Garlington, an enforcement officer and former LSU All-American football player who died Feb.10, 2000 in the line of duty.

In addition to those receiving awards, the current graduating class roster follows:

Scott Bell of Hammond; Dylan Bertrand of Abbeville; Jason Callegari of Cottonport;

Richard Clark of Slidell; Charles Dison of Castor; Jamie Folse of Thibodaux;

Brad Guidroz of Opelousas; Gabriel Guidry of Ville Platte; Christoper Harp of Zachary; Clinton Lewis of New Orleans; Billy Mouliere of Monroe; Roy Pier of Tickfaw; Jason Russo of Metairie and Robert Cosse of New Orleans.

To become a wildlife enforcement cadet, candidates must have two years of full-time law enforcement experience or 60 semester hours of college.  A candidate must also successfully com­plete a stringent two-part interview process.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is the oldest statewide law enforce­ment agency and boasts a nationally acclaimed training curriculum that contains instruction on everything from first aid and firearms training to officer survival, investigatory techniques, wildlife and fish identification and community relations. Cadets undergo an intense and arduous training session that runs for 28 weeks. The training is divided into two sessions. Nine weeks are spent at Louisiana State University where cadets undergo police officer standards training (POST). LDWF cadets are certified in 15 different key areas, including First Response, an American Red Cross program which is designed to save lives in emer­gency situations.