FWC looking for officer candidates

For immediate release: April 11, 2012
Media contact: Stan Kirkland, 850-265-3676

FWC looking for officer candidates
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is looking for a few good men and women, to borrow a phrase, to serve as law enforcement officers.

Applicants must be at least 19 years of age, possess a high school diploma and should have a love for protecting the outdoors. They must start the selection process by completing both a State of Florida employment application and an FWC supplemental application by visiting peoplefirst.myflorida.com by April 30.

Currently, the FWC has just over 700 officers to patrol more than 34 million acres of public and private lands, 12,000 miles of streams, rivers and canals and 7,700 lakes larger than 10 acres. The agency sends its new recruits through a six-month academy at the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Center.

“Fish and wildlife law enforcement officers have an incredible job,” said Officer Philip Griffith, the FWC’s Northwest Region law enforcement recruiter. “When they complete the academy, they are fully certified state law enforcement officers and primarily spend their time protecting the state’s fish and wildlife resources and people.”

He said law enforcement officers who are already certified and then hired by the FWC attend a shorter, specialized academy that focuses mostly on state fish and wildlife laws.

Among the qualifying factors, Griffith said, all applicants must pass a background check and be willing to relocate.

“One thing we stress is those who are selected must be in good physical health. The academy is physically demanding, and they need to be in good shape to do the job,” Griffith said. “They never know what they will have to do or respond to on a daily basis.”

Starting pay for FWC officers is $32,836.18 annually.

For additional information, contact FWC Law Enforcement recruiter Philip Griffith at 850-232-9969, or visit MyFWC.com/Get-Involved.