This year saw highest percentage of female cadets in CDFW history

“This is an exciting time for these new officers and we wish them the best as they embark upon field training.  Be smart and be safe as you apply your new law enforcement skills.  Be sure you have the safety net that no peace officer should be without, and that is the support of your union and its legal defense fund.  If you haven’t signed up for CSLEA membership yet, now is definitely the time!”

CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

PARADISE -On August 7, 2025, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) pinned badges on 22 new Wildlife Officer Academy graduates in Butte County. These newly sworn wildlife officers will now go through a Field Training Program before setting out on solo patrol to protect California’s natural resources.

“We are proud to see these 22 new and eager wildlife officers sworn in and to walk across the graduation stage to be pinned with their badges. They will support CDFW’s mission to protect the state’s natural resources,” said Nathaniel Arnold, CDFW Deputy Director and Chief of Law Enforcement. “These wildlife officers will be deployed across the Law Enforcement Division’s programs, including regular patrol, marine enforcement, investigation of petroleum spills and response, and cannabis enforcement, in order to best support California’s communities across the state.”

Since partnering with Butte College in 2008 to provide CDFW with certified California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), this class saw the highest percentage of female cadets enter the academy at 31%. The class also includes eight military veterans, a former CDFW Fisheries Branch wildlife technician and a former member of CDFW’s Nutria Eradication Program team who held the record for most nutria taken in the state. CDFW hopes to hire an additional four self-sponsored cadets graduating with this class.

In the Field Training Program, the new wildlife officers will apply their academy training under the immediate supervision of seasoned field training officers (FTO). Field training with experienced FTOs is also mandated by POST to ensure wildlife officers can apply the skills they learned during the academy to real life circumstances. FTO is the final stage of formal training.