Indiana Conservation Officer Shane Cooper, who serves Knox County, has been selected as 2023 District 7 Officer of the year.
Cooper grew up in Knox County and has served as a conservation officer since 2013. He attended Vincennes University and then the University of Southern Indiana, majoring in conservation law and sociology.
In addition to his duties as a field officer, he serves as a sonar operator, field training officer, and public safety diver.
District 7 includes Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Martin, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, and Warrick counties.
The district award puts Cooper in the running for the Pitzer Award, which is presented to the top overall conservation officer in the state and is selected from the 10 district winners.
The Pitzer Award is named after Conservation Officer James D. Pitzer, who was fatally shot while investigating illegal hunting activity on Jan. 2, 1961, in Jay County
