For the women of DWR’s Conservation Police, the uniforms might fit a bit differently, but the love of the outdoors and the desire to serve are the same.
By Bruce Ingram
Photos by Meghan Marchetti/DWR
Several years ago, Conservation Police Officer (CPO) Krista Adams was in the middle of apprehending several individuals when a bystander interrupted. “They were in the process of confessing what they had done,” she recalled. “Then this nearby guy, who wasn’t even part of the group that I was talking to, got all wound up, got up in my face and was swelling up his chest.
“So, I told him that he could swell up his chest all he wanted, but it was never going to be bigger than mine. The guy turned red, then turned around, slunk back to his truck and left without saying another word. The remaining men knew that I wasn’t going to put up with any nonsense, and the whole situation was defused,” Master Officer Adams said.
It was a simple interaction, but one that speaks volumes about the effectiveness of a female in the role of a CPO. Adams, who is currently the longest-serving female CPO in the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) Law Enforcement division, neutralized a potentially inflammatory situation with a little bit of humor and a lot of confidence.
A CPO since 2004, she acknowledges that female officers approach the job a bit differently, but in a way that’s an asset rather than a liability. “I think women bring something different to the table, especially since this is a job where males commit most of the violations,” she said. “Women, I feel, are better able to deescalate a situation when they apprehend a man who is not in compliance. That same guy may let his ego get out of control if a male CPO comes to question him.”
Growing up, Adams “honestly felt that there weren’t a lot of things that a guy could do that I couldn’t,” she said. “Yes, they might be able to do more push-ups or pull-ups than me, but honestly, how many times in our career are we doing pull-ups or pushups in the field? Guys are physically stronger, but I think females, especially in law enforcement, are a little more approachable.
“Also, many males, I feel, have an instinct to help females. Which often causes them to be more compliant about providing information so that we can do our job better. But just as important as all those things are is that, as someone who has been a CPO for a long time, I can emphasize that our male CPOs don’t view us as being any different because of our gender. They recognize us as professionals,” Adams noted. “I think because we consider ourselves all brothers and sisters, we know that each of us have the other one’s back, and I honestly don’t think that the gender makes that big of a difference.”
“‘I think women bring something different to the table,” Master Officer Krista Adams (left) said about the many female CPOs serving in DWR’s Law Enforcement division.
There are currently 13 female CPOs among the 165 officers working in the field in Virginia—enforcing the laws related to hunting, fishing, and boating; educating the public; and offering assistance in a wide variety of enforcement activities—all to promote a safe environment for citizens and visitors alike to enjoy the Commonwealth’s natural resources.
“Women in natural resource law enforcement bring unparalleled resilience, expertise, and a unique perspective to the field, ensuring the protection of our resources while fostering respect and trust among hunters, anglers, and boaters,” said Major Ryan Shuler of DWR’s Conservation Police.
Must Love Outdoors
CPOs are a special breed of law enforcement officer because they spend the majority of their service in the outdoors, whether it’s sweltering on a patrol boat in the heat of the summer ensuring boating compliance or searching the woods on a frigid winter day for evidence of a hunting violation. Male or female, a CPO must love the outdoors.
“I’ve always loved fishing and hunting,” Adams said. “Becoming a CPO was my way of turning my passions into a career. I’m proud to be a CPO because it’s my job—and honor and privilege—to protect the natural resources of the Commonwealth. And I do get satisfaction about catching the bad actors out there.”
Female CPOs, just like their male counterparts, have a passion for the outdoors and for serving Virginia’s wildlife resources and citizens no matter the conditions.
That passion for outdoor adventures is something Adams has in common not only with many of her male counterparts, but also with other female CPOs. Like Adams, CPO Bonnie Braziel serves in the Tidewater region, but she patrols as a canine officer with her partner K9 Grace. Also like Adams, Braziel is an avid angler and credits her mother and father for piquing her interest in the pastime while growing up in the Chesapeake area. Later, Braziel’s first job involved being a mate on a fishing head boat and dolphin-watching boat.
Her first job post-college was for an insurance agency. “I sat in a cubicle for five years and made good money, but I was miserable and knew it wasn’t what I was made for,” she said. So, in 2016 she quit her job and enrolled in DWR’s six-month training program to become a CPO.
The decision was the right one.
“I’m very passionate about this job,” Braziel said. “I don’t even feel like I’m working. It’s a true blessing to be outdoors and see the sun rise and set and in between witness all of nature’s surprises.” Eventually, Braziel’s DWR career evolved into becoming a K9 handler. Some of her most poignant assignments have involved family members who have either lost a loved one or had someone critically injured while they were afield.
CPO Bonnie Braziel, shown with K9 Grace, is currently the only female K9 officer on the DWR Conservation Police force.
“After a tragedy, I can help these families find closure,” she said. “Grace can find clues that can either prove or deny what happened in an incident or where a crime or accident happened where there were no witnesses. Those clues might be a shell wad, blood, or even pellet strikes that indicate the direction of a shot.”
Braziel agrees with Adams that there are advantages to being a female CPO and that women seem to have an innate ability to listen to other people and calm a tense situation. “I think people who enjoy the outdoors have a lot of respect for CPOs in general and for women who are CPOs,” Braziel said. “I’m out in the field for a reason, and I want to be helpful to the people who are enjoying the outdoors.”
First Sergeant Amanda Nevel grew up experiencing camping vacations, fishing trips to places as various as ponds and the Chesapeake Bay, and, as a teenager, going deer hunting with her dad. As a child, she desired to become a policeman. What tipped her toward entering the CPO field?
“For me, it was the best-of-all-worlds situation,” said Nevel, who also served five years in the Marine Corps before becoming a CPO. “I could help catch the bad guys, but I could also help protect wildlife for future generations.”
Along with Braziel, Nevel was part of the CPO recruit class that graduated from the training academy in 2016, which helped increase the number of female CPOs from five to eight that year. Now that number has grown to 13 out of 165 officers. The Richmond-based Nevel believes that change has been a very positive one.
“Statistics show that there’s less use of force when a woman is involved with apprehending a man,” she said. “Those statistics also show that women have a calming influence—they can talk people down in a crisis. I did my master’s thesis on how women and minorities can have a positive effect when situations arise.”
Sometimes, men respond differently to a female CPO in the field than a male CPO, which can be an advantage.
Skills and Confidence
In recent years, DWR Law Enforcement has made a concerted effort to attract more diverse recruits, including women. And Nevel, who’s involved in the recruiting and training program, has been trying to make sure that every training team in the CPO academy has a female CPO involved.
“The fact is that women can have hips that can make gun belts a challenge to fit or smaller hands that can affect how they hold their sidearm,” Nevel noted. “Having leadership from female CPOs who personally understand this is essential to ensuring that recruits’ challenges are understood and addressed for the morale of the class and their continued success after graduation.”
In 2023, First Sergeant Amanda Nevel (left) was awarded the Conservation Police Officer of the Year Award by Colonel John Cobb (right) and DWR Executive Director Ryan Brown (center).
While there might be some logistical differences for female CPOs, the main challenge of the job is the same no matter an officer’s gender. “The fact is that we’re walking into the woods completely by yourself in the middle of nowhere, checking armed people,” Nevel said. “You’ve got to be confident in your abilities as a law enforcement officer and your verbal judo—being able to talk to people when they’re angry, knowing that everybody has a gun, and it could very well not go well for you. It is a law enforcement job. You could not make it home one day. And that’s a hard pill to swallow, no matter who you are.”
Nevel explained that the training academy is designed to prepare recruits effectively for the demands of the job. Training includes defensive tactics, proper techniques, marksmanship, driving skills, and more. “It’s building you up so that when you get out, you’re confident in your skills and everything that you learned with all the different equipment,” Nevel said.
The sense of community extends beyond the training. When Nevel first started as a CPO, she called Adams for advice. “I asked all the crazy questions that I had,” Nevel said. “It was good to hear it from an officer that had been here for 10 or so years at that time. We offer the same thing to new female officers—we’ll hook them up with a female officer in their region so they can ask questions specific to their region or area.”
The female CPOs continue that camaraderie into their time in the field. Braziel noted that she’ll call other female CPOs to chat. “The support is there. The same lack of having a bathroom in the woods is there. We’re all going through the same things!” she said.
Spreading the Word
Seeing female CPOs in the field has also helped expand the image of hunting and fishing to women, and the female CPOs make a point of doing outreach that welcomes women into the outdoors. Nevel plans and conducts workshops that strive to increase the participation of women and youth in the outdoors. Since 2023, she and Braziel have annually conducted workshops at the Virginia Fly Fishing and Wine Festival as part of the Women’s Symposium.
“We cover the basics of fly fishing, but we also try to answer all the questions that a woman new to the outdoors might have,” Nevel said. “Some of them are on topics such as what kinds of licenses are needed, how to keep from getting lost in the woods, how to know where public land ends and private land begins. We don’t want any woman to feel that her question is too trivial to ask.”
Another form of outreach are the women and youth-related classes that DWR conducts. Nevel says her favorite classes are the ones that are outdoor-based, where participants receive hands-on instruction by going on trail walks, experiencing hypothetical “shoot-don’t shoot” situations, and, of course, actually fishing.
As DWR’s Law Enforcement division continues to evolve, hopes are that more women will consider a career as a CPO. “I was definitely raised to believe that I could reach my dreams, no matter what my dreams were, and even if it wasn’t a traditional female dream,” Adams said.
“I think the successful officers here—no matter their gender—are very passionate about their job, and I think that’s of utmost importance. You can’t not do something just because of your gender,” Adams continued.
“The reason to do it is because you’re passionate about what you’re going to be doing, not just to prove the point that you can do it because you’re a girl. You’re there to prove that you can do it because you’re passionate about it, and you have the skills and the talent and the dedication.”
Bruce Ingram has written books on the James, New, Potomac, and Shenandoah and Rappahannock rivers, plus Living the Locavore Lifestyle and four young adult fiction novels.
CPO BY DAY (and Night), MOM BY NIGHT (and Day)
There are currently three female Conservation Police Officers (CPOs) in DWR Law Enforcement who are also mothers—K9 CPO Bonnie Braziel is one of them. Braziel’s wife gave birth to their son in January 2023, and Braziel was able to spend a few months focused on parenting thanks to DWR’s family leave policy.
“The paid leave is just something that’s amazing, because a lot of people just don’t get that,” Braziel said. “I really loved that experience, having that time with him. I loved being able to be there with him for days and weeks and just watching him learn and grow.” Her flexible schedule as a CPO also allowed her to adjust to her family’s needs. “It seems like in a lot of relationships, one person is constantly running the kids everywhere and doing everything,” she said. “But my wife and I really have a good relationship with teamwork and each wanting to do everything that we can for him. And this job allows me the flexibility to do that.”
Braziel acknowledges that becoming a mother has changed her mindset in the field a bit. “I definitely have more to live for,” she said. “I’m not any less effective, but I am more careful. I also think it’s helped me bond with any kids I encounter in the field. Frequently, there are kids out hunting, fishing, or boating with their parents, and I think I’ve gotten better at explaining things to the kids and keeping them distracted so the situation is less stressful if there’s a problem their parents are involved in.” Her partner, K9 Grace, a black Labrador Retriever, also is very effective at calming children down.
Braziel’s fellow K9 officers pitched in to gift her son with lifetime hunting and fishing licenses, which meant a lot to her. “I can’t wait to share the outdoors with him, and I think about the future with him—going out hunting and fishing just like I see all the moms and dads doing when I’m in the field,” she said.
This article originally appeared in Virginia Wildlife Magazine.
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