The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is offering an accelerated conservation officer training to fill roles in 14 counties, primarily in the north, central, and west parts of the state.

“The accelerated hiring process will allow licensed officers who have received general criminal training to bypass the traditional Conservation Officer Recruit School Academy and immediately begin their natural resources law enforcement training,” said Capt. Jen Wolf, DNR Law Enforcement Division. “This helps us bring in skilled, motivated officers with diverse law enforcement experience to quickly fill existing vacancies.”

Qualified applicants must be at least 21 years of age and meet one of the following requirements:

• Hold a current Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards license.
• Be a graduating student from a law enforcement academy and eligible for immediate licensure upon employment.
• Be a licensed law enforcement officer in another state and meet MCOLES requirements.

“The DNR offers some of the best courses and in-house training,” said CO Alexander Bourgeois, who was hired in 2022 and previously worked for the Royal Oak Police Department. “I love the unique aspects of being a conservation officer – riding snowmobiles, ORVs and boats. I get to do my job and enjoy being outdoors at the same time. We have flexible schedules, too, so I can coordinate with my family’s schedule. We also work all of our cases start to finish, through good investigations and hard work, which is very rewarding.”

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