Cpl. Shawn Elmore earned the title of 2012 Georgia Boating Officer of the Year for his outstanding performance as a boating safety officer for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division.
Cpl. Elmore went beyond the general call of duty: search and rescue, boating safety enforcement and boating safety education.
DNR Chief of Law Enforcement Col. Eddie Henderson says, “The work that Cpl. Elmore has done in the area of boating law enforcement, and especially in leading boating incident investigations, is a great example for all of our conservation rangers. He shows great attention and care to detail and works diligently to further the boating safety message to the public.”
Cpl. Elmore is part of the Critical Incident Reconstruction Team, in addition to his regular duties as a conservation ranger. He was in charge of the largest investigation on Georgia’s waters last year.
That investigation centered on a tragic case on Lake Lanier that resulted in the loss of two young lives after their family pontoon was struck by another vessel. This case was several hours from his “home” base office and area of work and involved more than 230 hours of work to reconstruct and document. Ranger Elmore’s expertise, training and experience in the field of boating safety were instrumental in the development of the reports on this case.
Other boating safety-related activities by Cpl. Elmore this past year included:
- educating the public on the Etowah River about personal floatation device usage and requirements
- teaching boating incident investigation to recruits at the Conservation Ranger Academy
- presenting at boating information and education events
- and designing and implementing the drowning investigation course taught at the Academy.
Cpl. Elmore will receive recognition from the Southern States Boating Law Administrators Association this spring, and will be a candidate for further honors from SSBLAA. He also is eligible for the Butch Potts “Boating Law Enforcement of the Year” honor from the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators.
Other rangers nominated for the award by supervisors for outstanding work in 2012 include:
- Cpl. Eric Sanders
- Cpl. Brian Hobbins
- Cpl. Josh Copelan
- Ranger 1st Class Jon Penuel
- Cpl. Chase Altman and
- Ranger 1st Class David Brady.
We extend our congratulations and gratitude to all of these fine law enforcement officers.
Click Here for DNR Boating Safety Information
