Dawson Hervey of the Texarkana area has graduated from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s 68th Texas Game Warden and State Park Police Cadet Class and will be stationed in Jefferson County.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department graduated 24 new Texas Game Wardens and four Texas State Park Police officers Friday morning during a ceremony at the Texas State Capitol. The graduates completed eight months of intensive training at the Texas Game Warden Training Center in Hamilton County.
Hervey is the son of Captain Game Warden Shawn Hervey, who is based in Mt. Pleasant, making him a second-generation law enforcement officer.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott delivered the ceremony’s keynote address.
“You are now guardians of places that cannot speak for themselves,” Abbott said. “You carry a badge, but more than that, you carry a standard of courage, integrity, and selfless service. You are more than wildlife officers; you are law enforcement officers, border defenders, rescue responders, and Texas’ all-weather, all-terrain, all-mission force to protect our great state.”
As fully commissioned peace officers, Texas Game Wardens enforce all Texas criminal laws and are responsible for enforcing the Penal Code, Transportation Code and Health and Safety Code. They also respond to emergencies and assist local, state and federal law enforcement partners.
Col. Ron VanderRoest, TPWD law enforcement director, said the new game wardens are joining a profession rooted in service, conservation and public safety.
“They are stepping into careers that will take them into communities, on waterways and into remote areas across Texas where they will protect natural resources, assist people in times of crisis and uphold the laws of this state,” VanderRoest said.
All graduating cadets successfully completed state-mandated requirements for peace officer certification, including criminal and constitutional law, firearms, self-defense, use of force, boat operations, arrest, search and seizure, ethics, first aid and emergency response.
The new officers will join more than 500 commissioned game wardens and about 150 state park police officers already serving statewide.
Additional information is available at tpwd.texas.gov.