Across the state, one of the most commonly asked question Illinois Conservation Officers answer concerns our full police powers. Officers are often asked why we have full police powers...to which we reply why not? We have one of the most unique jobs in all of law enforcement, which is reflected in our diverse training. We receive training in many areas including public speaking and interviewing skills, along with one of the most in-depth officer survival programs (defensive tactics/ firearms program) in the business. 

 

     We are in a diverse profession which places us in situations that the average police officer does not encounter. I would venture say our field officer's yearly arrest statistics, which include: criminal warrant arrests, drug arrests, and D.U.I./O.U.I (operation of watercraft and snowmobile under the influence) arrests, would compare to or even beat any police department's stats per officer statewide. The fact of the matter is the local Sheriffs departments and Municipal departments are busy enough without assisting us every time we discover a crime other than typical Fish and Wildlife violations.

 

       The average Illinois citizen probably does not want to wait 30 minutes for a Sheriff's deputy to remove a subject who is wanted on a warrant for dangerous drugs from their favorite fishing lake or State Park. CPO's are trained at the Illinois State Police Academy and first become certified police officers, and then receive an additional 12 weeks of specialized Conservation Academy training.  We are empowered by state law and department policy to handle the situation at hand, and handle it we do:

 

     CPO Glenn Sanders of Adams County successfully located and eradicated an estimated $450,000 of cultivated cannabis plants on an island in the Mississippi River while on a preseason waterfowl enforcement scouting/ training detail with CPO Trainee William Wichern in July 2000. Both officers were recognized by the Illinois State Police for their efforts.

 

     Former 1999 CPO of the Year Hank Frazier serves as a CPO K-9 drug officer for Starved Rock State Park and surrounding State Lands and for local police departments. CPO Frazier is credited with over 300 drug arrests in his first year of K-9 service by the LaSalle County State's Attorney's Office.

 

     CPOs in the west central part of the state are credited with several arrests relating to the successful location of clandestine methamphetamine labs which have recently plagued rural areas across western Illinois.    

 

 CPO Rafael Gutierrez has been credited with the successful recovery of numerous stolen boats in the Chicago area, totaling several hundred thousand dollars  His investigations often involve several different states and various police agencies. CPO Gutierrez has been recognized by numerous insurance companies for his efforts in multiple boat theft investigations in the Chicago area.

 

    CPOs make several drug arrests each week, which includes an arrest recently made by CPO's at Illinois Beach State Park in June 2001. CPO's are credited with a cocaine arrest which resulted in the on scene seizure of $10,000 in cash within the park.

 

     Statewide, CPO's are very active, especially in the summer months with warrants, drug arrests, and assisting other law enforcement agencies in getting into those areas where only mosquitoes and biting flies call home. In addition to our Fish, Wildlife, State Lands/Waters responsibilities we always seem to be at the right place at the wrong time (as the offenders often put it!) along rivers, lakes, and back road areas when crimes occur. The element of surprise is often our most effective tool, but as any good trapper would admit, beware of what you catch because tomato juice doesn't always work, so be ready for anything!

 

     As CPO Jon Davis of Greene County found out a during routine patrol of his district.  He located several hundred pounds of premixed explosives in rural western Illinois (the same substance used in the Oklahoma City bombing). CPO Davis' efforts eventually lead to the successful apprehension and prosecution of the individual responsible.     

 

     Why Full Police Powers...WHY NOT!!! Our unofficial motto is "Handle It With A Smile".  So remember when you ask your local Game Warden about the size limit of largemouth bass at your favorite fishing hole and there is a moment of hesitation, it's not that we don't know the answer...it's that sometimes it takes us a minute to locate the information in our hard drives!! 

 

     I recently spoke to a gentleman who put the whole concept into perspective for me and the rest of his constituents. While working sport fishermen at the county lakes early one Friday evening I received a call. The call was from the IL State Police dispatch stating that a Mr. Craig Thomas wished to speak with a conservation officer. I contacted Mr. Thomas, age 11, on my cell phone via his speaker phone at his local Cub Scout meeting! Mr. Thomas asked several questions pertaining to the neat things Game Wardens do, which included the fact that I was speaking to him on scene from my location at an area lake while in the process of issuing two citations. Mr. Thomas asked, with considerable help from the studio audience, about my sidearm and the need to carry it. My response included dispatching wounded animals, assisting other police agencies, and protecting the  public from the bad guys.

 

     Mr. Thomas' response was: so you're like a cop who knows where the fish are biting!

 

     To date I have not heard it put any more concise or exactly to the point. Mr. Thomas, his father, and his cub scout troop all thanked me for my time answering their questions. I concluded by thanking Mr. Thomas for his modest understanding of a concept that many CPOs creatively try to explain everyday!