44 2019 Annual Report
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Law Enforcement and Public Safety
O F F I C E R S R E S C U E A N D
R E C O V E R
Conservation officers frequently answer the call for assistance
from a variety of other agencies whenever a tragedy occurs.
These calls for service triggering a response from our enforcement
personnel in 2019 ranged from searching for homicide and cold-case
victims to retrieving stranded motorists during the Thanksgiving
blizzard. Our personnel are well equipped for many of these search
operations, utilizing drones, 4-wheelers, side-scan sonar and a fleet
of vessels.
T H R E E I N V E S T I G A T I O N S I N
P R O S E C U T I O N P H A S E
Three large, long-term cooperative investigations into the illegal
and fraudulent take of fish and wildlife are in the prosecution phase.
Investigations have involved state and federal officials, and 21
defendants have pled to fines of more than $117,000, along with
multiple years of probation and permit revocation. In addition to
the illegal take of wildlife, many of the cases centered on the illegal
commercialization of natural resources. With a number of plea
agreements still in process, the case is expected to culminate in
2020.
Law Enforcement
and Public Safety
H U N T E R A N D B O A T E R
E D U C A T I O N
Outdoor safety starts with our formal outdoor education efforts.
The agency is committed to educating motorboat operators and
hunters. This work no doubt saves lives and creates ethical,
responsible hunters. In 2019, the agency certified over 3,000
motorboat safety operators and issued 4,465 bowhunter education
and 5,511 firearm hunter education certificates. Hunting remains
one of the safest outdoor recreation endeavors across the country.
And despite boating's increasing popularity, there has not been an
increase in Nebraska boating fatalities. Ongoing media and our field
enforcement efforts help keep boating and hunting safety "top of
mind" and will remain a priority in the future.
