| Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries - Enforcement Division | |
| Abbreviation | LDWF |
| Patch of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries - Enforcement Division. | |
| Badge of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries - Enforcement Division. | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1857 |
| Preceding agencies |
|
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of Louisiana, United States |
| Size | 51,885 square miles (134,380 km2) |
| Population | 4,468,976 |
| Legal jurisdiction | Louisiana |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Wildlife Enforcement Agents | 230 (2004) |
| Agency executive | Colonel Winton Vidrine, Chief of Enforcement Division |
| Parent agency | Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries |
| Facilities | |
| Region Offices | 8 |
| Website | |
| http://www.wlf.state.la.us/aboutldwf/divisions/enforcement | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division (LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdiction anywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.
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Louisiana's first wildlife conservation law was passed in 1857. The agency started out in 1872[1] as an Oyster Fishing Regulatory Board, with many more oyster regulations following in the 1880s. In 1909 a more formal body was created and given the task of overseeing wildlife and fisheries conservation in Louisiana. It was at that time called the Louisiana Board of Commissioners for the Protection of Birds, Game and Fish. In 1910, the Louisiana Oyster Commission (which had been created in 1902) merged with the Board of Commissioners to create the Louisiana Department of Conservation. In 1912, the Conservation Commission of Louisiana was formed as a department of State government, with the mission of providing for the protection of birds, fish, shellfish, wild quadrupeds, forestry and mineral resources of the state. In 1918 the name of the agency changed back to the Department of Conservation, and directed that it be controlled by an officer known as the Commissioner of Conservation, who would be appointed by the Governor, by and with the consent of the Senate, for a term of four years. In 1944, the Louisiana Department of Wild Life and Fisheries was officially created. In 1952, the agency's name was changed to the name Louisiana Wild Life and Fisheries Commission. The current Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries was created in 1975[2]. The Enforcement Division eventually took over regulation of all hunting, fishing, and boating in the state of Louisiana. The agency employs over 200 Wildlife Agents.[3] In 2005, the Enforcement Division was involved in extensive search and rescue missions in the New Orleans area following Hurricane Katrina. One of the Department's Agents, Sgt. Rachel Zechenelly, was named as one of Glamour Magazine's "2005 Women of the Year" for her role in rescue efforts[4]
The department is divided up into eight regions, with its headquarters in Baton Rouge. Each Region is divided into two or more districts. The Regions are divided as follows:
In 2010, the old Region 4 office located in Ferriday was disbanded. The parishes under its control were redistributed as shown above. The Region offices numbers were also redistributed, mainly affecting the redesignation of the Opelousas and Thibodaux offices. The old Region 4 covered the following parishes: Lasalle, Concordia, Catahoula, Caldwell, Franklin, Madison, and Tensas
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Enforcement Division rank structure is as listed:
| Rank | Insignia | |
|---|---|---|
| Colonel | One individual holds the position as chief of the Enforcement Division and has the rank of Colonel. The Colonel wears one silver colored eagle on each epaulet. | |
| Lieutenant Colonel | There are two officers with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Lieutenant Colonels wear a silver colored oak leaf on each epaulet. | |
| Major | Majors are responsible for a command within the Enforcement Division. Majors wear one gold colored oak leaf on each epaulet. | |
| Captain | The specific responsibilities of a Captain vary depending upon where they are assigned within the Agency. For example, a Captain may be a Region Commander, or hold some other responsibility if assigned to headquarters. Captains wear two gold colored bars on each epaulet. | |
| Lieutenant | The responsibilities of a lieutenant vary within the department. At the Region level, a lieutenant is typically the commander of a district. Other Lieutenants at headquarters may command a unit. Lieutenants wear gold colored metal bars on each epaulet. | |
| Sergeant | At the Region level, Sergeants are assigned to oversee a parish. At headquarters and in some specialized units they perform other functions. Sergeants wear a metal pin consisting of three gold colored inverted chevrons on each epaulet. | |
| Senior Agent | Agents who have served two (2) years of satisfactory or exceptional service are promoted to the rank of Senior Agent. Senior Agents do not wear rank insignia. | |
| Agent | This rank is attained by Cadets upon successful completion of the training academy. Agents do not wear rank insignia. | |
| Cadet | A Cadet is a raw recruit, and is the rank held by all personnel while assigned as a student at the training academy. Cadets do not wear rank insignia. |
The current Chief of Enforcement is Colonel Winton Vidrine. He has held this position since 1984, making him currently the longest holder of that office in the agency's history.
The current standard issue firearm for Wildlife Enforcement Agents is the Sig Sauer Model P-220 Semi-Automatic pistol in .45 ACP. Each Agent is also issued a Remington 870 Police 12 gauge shotgun. Agents are also issued (since Hurricane Katrina) Sig Sauer model 551 carbines in caliber .223. These agents also come equipped with collapsible batons and pepper spray.
Louisiana Wildlife Agents patrol in a wide variety of vehicles. The main patrol vehicles are four wheel drive pick-up trucks made by Ford, Dodge, or General Motors. The Ford Crown Victoria "Police Interceptor." is also used in some roles. A wide variety of watercraft are employed by the agency, most notably the Boston Whaler. Several different manufacturers’ 4-wheeler ATVs are also used. The Enforcement Division also utilizes several single engine fixed winged aircraft, as well as several large offshore patrol boats.
Like many other police agencies around the United States, LDWF has several sub-divisions in specialized tasks. These include a dive team, a Salt Water Enforcement Patrol (SWEP), an Aviation Support Unit, an Oyster Strike Force, a Statewide Strike Force, and a Special Investigations Unit (SIU).
Since its formation, 7 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents have been killed in the line of duty.[5]
| Officer's Name | End Of Watch | Cause Of Death |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Frank E. Fagot, Jr. |
|
Gunfire |
| Agent Kenneth Dale Aycock |
|
Drowned |
| Agent Ricky Dodge |
|
Automobile accident |
| Senior Agent Leon "Buddy" Henderson, Jr. |
|
Automobile accident |
| Captain John M. Garlington |
|
Drowned |
| Senior Agent Jim Robyn Bennet Matkin |
|
Automobile accident |
| Sergeant Paul Stuckey |
|
Gunfire |