After a 16-year-old was killed by a Greene County game warden during a traffic stop gone bad on January 24, the question has been raised as to why the warden was there in the first place. Shouldn’t game wardens be off busting sketchy hunters or educating people about inland fish? Are they really trained just like police officers?
Colonel Mike Bise, chief of law enforcement with the department of game and inland fisheries, says game wardens are just as skilled as cops. And, in rural counties, they often double as police officers, assisting with manhunts and search and rescue missions.
“Virginia game wardens have full police authority but focus on enforcing the Commonwealth’s wildlife and boating laws,” Bise says.
They’ve got full authority, but do they have full police training? Bise says yes. They’re trained on the same “use of force continuum,” the guidelines that tell police when to use deadly force with a suspect. They’re also trained not only on rifles and hunting weapons, but with “service weapons,” the handguns that regular police use. Bise says game wardens carry weapons similar to those Virginia State Police officers carry.
“Our guys are seeing 34 weeks of training at the basic level,” Bise says. “We try to train them on everything they may encounter including interaction with other police departments.”
The game warden who shot the Greene County teen is currently under review by Virginia State Police.
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