Steve Thomson, State Wildlife Officer Supervisor in northwest Ohio, was recently named Ohio Wildlife Officer of the Year by the Shikar-Safari Club International, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
Officer Thomson is an experienced veteran employee with over 20 years of service in wildlife and natural resources law enforcement. A graduate of the 19th Wildlife Officer Training Academy in 1993, he has worked as a wildlife officer assigned to Allen and Erie Counties and was promoted to an investigator positon in 2002. Recently, Officer Thomson has been promoted to Unit Supervisor, where he will oversee several counties in northwest Ohio.
Although Officer Thomson primarily works in northwest Ohio and along Lake Erie, his influence extends throughout the state. Thomson is an instructor on the ODNR Division of Wildlife’s law enforcement training team. Officer Thomson’s primary expertise is in firearms training and crime scene investigation and he spends countless hours training officers throughout Ohio.
As an investigator, Thomson has been assigned to many of the more difficult and complex cases, especially those that involve serious offenses, state property damage, and commercialization of wildlife. Officer Thomson serves as a jurisdictional representative to the North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association (NA WEOA). NA WEOA is a professional organization of wildlife officers from across the United States and Canada.
The Shikar-Safari Club International was founded in 1952 by an international group of hunters interested in exchanging ideas about the sport. Each year the club sponsors an award for the wildlife officer of the year in all 50 states, 10 Canadian provinces, and the territories of both nations. In 1966, the Shikar-Safari International Foundation was formed to support various wildlife conservation projects with funds raised by club members.
ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.
