Idaho Conservation Officer Receives Pogue-Elms Award

Idaho Fish and Game Conservation Officer Tony Latham has been named the Pogue-Elms Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies announced the honor this week during the association's summer conference in Newport Beach, Calif. Latham was nominated by Regional Conservation Officer David Silcock for being "an exemplary conservation officer and special investigator, and he has protected Idaho's wildlife and fisheries resources since 1987. "His innovative approaches in detecting and apprehending wildlife violators have made him an asset for the entire agency," Silcock wrote in his nominating letter. The association grants the award for:

• Contributions to fish and wildlife law enforcement.
• Exceptional leadership, skill, or ingenuity in the performance of their duty.
• Contributions to areas of applied technology in fish and wildlife enforcement.
• Contributions that brought credit to their agency or the field of fish and wildlife enforcement that were unique or original.

"Tony is the most innovative and creative wildlife investigator I know," Enforcement Bureau Chief Jon Heggen said recently. "He commands the respect of every law enforcement officer who comes into contact with him." The award honors Idaho Fish and Game officers Bill Pogue and Conley Elms, who were killed in January 1981 while trying to arrest poacher Claude Dallas in the remote Owyhee River country of southwestern Idaho. The association gives out the award "on their behalf to a wildlife law enforcement officer who exemplifies the courage, dedication, sacrifice and hard work in their pursuit and love for wildlife," the association Web site says.