Thirty-Eight New Fish and Game Wardens Graduate

Thirty-eight men and women graduated from the California Department of Fish and Game’s Warden Training Academy on Friday Aug. 6 at Butte College in Oroville. The newly sworn officers will undergo three Field Training Officer (FTO) cycles working alongside seasoned wardens. Upon successful completion of the FTO program they will be assigned to positions across the state where they will begin their patrols.

“Wardens have an incomparable role in protection of the public and preservation of the state’s natural resources,” said California Department of Fish and Game Director John McCamman in a speech to graduating recruits last week. “You will be the state sentinels for wildlife protection.”

The warden academy is a 30-week intensive police academy designed to teach recruits how to work not only as a law enforcement officer, but a game warden. The academy is accredited by the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission. Approximately 20 weeks of that time is spent preparing wardens to respond to everything from drug-intoxicated offenders to domestic violence and other traditional police activities. The additional 10 weeks is spent preparing these officers to be wardens.

“The diversity of California’s landscape requires a training regimen greater than most other law enforcement agencies,” said Nancy Foley, Chief of DFG’s Law Enforcement Division. “We’re very pleased to soon have 38 new wardens on patrol.”

California is home to thousands of animal and plant species, of which more than 350 are threatened or endangered. The state has 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, 4,800 lakes and 1,100 miles of coastline. California wardens patrol the states highest peaks, the deserts, 200 miles out to sea, and everything in between.

The DFG Law Enforcement Division is recruiting. For information on becoming a California game warden, please visit the DFG website.