A Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) enforcement agent was recently named the 2023 National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) Southern Region Officer of the Year.
Lt. Jason Russo, of Metairie and a 21-year veteran with the LDWF Enforcement Division, was honored with the NASBLA award for his continuous dedication to enforcing boating safety laws and educating the public.
“This is a great achievement for Lt. Russo and very well deserved,” said Col. Rachel Zechenelly, head of the Enforcement Division. “He has always done a great job of enforcing boating safety laws and teaching boating safety classes to the public. Really happy to see him recognized for this prestigious award.”
Lt. Russo has been a boating safety instructor for over 18 years teaching safe boating classes. His training includes successful completion of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) Marine Patrol Officer's course, FLETC Marine Law Enforcement Training Program, NASBLA's Level I Boating Incident Investigation (BII) course, NASBLA's Level II BII Reconstruction course, and he serves as an instructor for NASBLA’s Level I BII course and its Officer Water Survival course.
Lt. Russo has demonstrated leadership when it comes to boating safety as four of the agents he directly supervises have received safe boating awards in the past six years. His commitment to enforcing boating safety laws and educating the public on boating safety in the field have benefited the LDWF Enforcement Division and the people that he serves.