The long road ahead
Week 2: Jan. 10-16
Sunday night, Jan. 10, 23 recruits reported back to the Department of Natural Resources conservation officer training academy to begin week two. As they stood at attention, the 21 men and two women from Recruit School No. 7 were ready for the rigors and challenges of the week to come.
 The recruits’ days are structured and efficiently managed. From waking at 5 a.m. to readying their rooms for morning inspection, to the precise way they march into the cafeteria for chow (politely thanking each person who serves them their food), to standing at attention before they’re seated to begin class – it’s done that way for a reason.
This approach will teach valuable skills that will be vital in their jobs – attention to detail, remaining alert at all times, and so much more. Not only will they protect the state’s natural resources, but these future conservation officers also will help to keep their communities safe and perform crucial lifesaving operations. With public service as their goal, these recruits power on.
The building block
The men and women spent their first full day back at the academy learning about conservation laws with Conservation Officer (CO) Bobbi Lively, who taught them how to apply the laws and navigate through the law books located on their computers.
“Conservation law is the building block of everything we do,” said Sgt. Jason Wicklund, recruit school commander. “Whether we’re checking licenses, investigating a complaint, or answering citizens’ questions, we’re following conservation law. It’s our responsibility to know it and know it well.”
Communications is key
The week’s focal point was communications, complete with interpersonal skills, radio communications and incident command training.
 Tuesday, the recruits spent the morning with DNR psychologist Dr. Michael Comer. They will have several classes with Dr. Comer over the course of the academy, learning how to effectively communicate with the many citizens they will encounter over the course of their careers.
Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) training with Ms. Dominique Clemente, DNR Report All Poaching (RAP) room supervisor, filled much of Tuesday afternoon. The LEIN system, used by Michigan law enforcement officers, is a statewide computerized criminal justice information system. When training and testing are successfully completed, recruits will be certified LEIN operators.
Following LEIN training, CO Danny Walzak, a veteran conservation officer of 37 years, introduced radio communications. The recruits soon learned there is much more to radio communications than meets the eye – or ear – including extensive protocol and procedures.
“The digital radio equipment we use is dual-band technology and very complex,” said Sgt. Wicklund. “We have the ability to communicate with many local, county, state and federal law enforcement officers. “
Wicklund noted that there’s a proper way to talk and use the radio. “Every conservation officer across the state must follow the same protocol and procedures,” he said.
This includes spelling names and words phonetically when using the radio, the equivalent to learning a new alphabet. For example, during radio communication, Sgt. Wicklund would relay the spelling of his name as, “William, Ida, Charles, King, Lincoln, Union, Nora, David.”
Almost immediately, the recruits were expected to recite the phonetic spelling of their names.
Serving the community
Thursday the recruits learned about the important roles they’ll serve during emergency response situations. Under the guidance of 1st Lt. Steven Burton, the recruits were trained on the incident command system. They also took necessary tests to certify them as having successfully completed the federal and state incident command system requirements.
 Michigan conservation officers often respond to emergency situations. In 2015 alone, they performed numerous search and rescues – including ice rescue – escaped prisoner apprehensions, a fire evacuation and more.
Thursday evening, while not even two weeks into the academy, the recruits took three more exams. Their day of training and testing ended at 8:30 p.m.
Who was that man?
CO Troy Van Gelderen began Friday morning classroom instruction with suspect identification procedures and a “test.” Unbeknownst to the recruits, they would be asked to describe in detail a man who had been in the classroom a short time earlier. What was he wearing? What color was his hair? Any distinguishing details about him? The morning instruction gave the recruits skills needed to obtain suspect information.
Dismissed
After spending a portion of Friday afternoon reviewing their week’s tests, the recruits were dismissed for the weekend.
They had completed nearly 10 percent of the academy. Already gaining insight into their new roles and becoming more comfortable with their daily routines, these future conservation officers are ready to tackle more.
And it’s a good thing: Week three awaits.
Subscribe to the weekly conservation officer academy blog, which will also be posted weekly on the Michigan DNR Facebook page. View past blogs from Recruit School No. 7.
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/Photo details: Accompanying photos are available below for download. Caption information follows.
Morning run.jpg: Recruits braved the cold and snow to complete their 6 a.m. run, part of their daily physical fitness training.
Radio communications.jpg: Conservation Officer Danny Walzak introduced radio communications to the recruits.
Rope climb.jpg: During Wednesday morning physical training, recruits participated in the rope climb exercise. They were assessed on effort and technique. Before graduation, each recruit will successfully climb to the top of the rope./
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.
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