Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division
| 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 | 1872 |
| 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 Joseph Broussard, 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.
Louisiana's first wildlife conservation law was passed in 1857. The agency started out in 1872 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. 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. 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
...
Wikipedia