New Wildlife Officers Graduate

New FWC Graduates Ready For Woods And Water Duty

LABELLE, FL. -- A new group of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) law enforcement officers will soon begin patrolling the woods and waters in South and Central Florida.

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:

Michael Davis – Okeechobee

Jordan Hilliard – DeSoto

Evan Laskowski – Glades

Jarod Molnar – Palm Beach

Henry Rockwell – Hendry

Jamie Young – Palm Beach