INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— The Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement held a ceremony in Indianapolis Friday to honor fallen conservation officers and recognize those serving.
Indiana’s Conservation Officers are law enforcement officers who work for the DNR. The DNR Division of Law Enforcement is the oldest law enforcement agency in Indiana, with 214 officers.
The ceremony began by honoring the seven conservation officers who have died in the line of duty since the division’s inception in 1911. The most recent was in 2018 while the first were two death’s in 1926.
After the memorial, the division gave out awards to individual officers for their service, some of whom are from the districts located in the Wabash Valley.
One such individual is District 5 Officer Matt Landis, who serves Sullivan County. Officer Landis was presented with the William J. Nattkemper Brotherhood Award. The award is named after one of the two conservation officers to die in 1926, who was honored in the memorial. This award recognizes the commitment and the inseparable bond of brotherhood displayed by those like Officers L.B. Watson, John Pile, and A.R. Hill who remained at the scene of the 1926 incident until the bodies were recovered.
Officer Max Winchell was also awarded the Life Saving Award for exceptional actions that saved lives. Max Winchell is the 2023 District 5 Officer of the Year and serves District 5, containing Clay, Greene, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, Vermillion, and Vigo counties.
Comments