Conservation Police Officer (CPO) Recruiting Information

As the title suggests, Virginia’s Conservation Police Officers are sworn law enforcement professionals with statewide jurisdiction. The core duties of this position center around law enforcement, with officers regularly patrolling assigned areas by foot, truck, UTV, or boat. These patrols focus on ensuring public safety and enforcing Virginia’s laws and regulations related to the mission of the Department of Wildlife Resources.

Conservation Police Officers engage with the public daily, and strong communication skills, sound judgment, impartiality, and professionalism are essential to the role. Many public interactions occur with hunters, anglers, and boaters.

As first responders, Conservation Police Officers also handle calls for service involving criminal activity or medical emergencies. In addition, they conduct in-depth investigations, including those related to hunting or boating incidents—some of which may involve serious injury or fatalities.

The starting salary for all Conservation Police Officers this cycle is $54,106. After completing the academy, officers will receive a series of pay adjustments based on tenure through the Career Progression Program. This starts with a 10% pay increase after completing the probationary period.

Conservation Police Officers are eligible for Virginia Law Officers’ Retirement System (VaLORS) Plan 2. Officers receive unreduced service retirement eligibility Age 60 if you have at least five years (60 months) of service credit, or at age 50 if you have at least 25 years of service credit. CPOs can also participate in the Commonwealth of Virginia 457 Deferred Compensation Plan and Virginia Cash Match Plan 401(a). For more information on benefits and retirement visit the DHRM website.

Yes, all newly hired Conservation Police Officers are required to attend the department’s 30-week Basic Training Program in Henrico, Virginia. Currently, there is no scheduled modified training program for candidates who are DCJS certified law enforcement officers.

The Virginia Conservation Police Law Enforcement Basic Training Academy is approximately 30 weeks. Recruit officers are assigned to our Headquarters in Henrico, VA. The Department provides seven-day-a-week lodging at no cost to the recruit officer during their training period and a state vehicle for official use. Recruits are allowed to return home for the weekend but must return to assigned lodging before the start of the work week. Academy courses are primarily delivered in the DWR headquarters training room in Henrico, Virginia.

Recruit officers can plan to receive structured training during regular business hours, Monday through Friday. There are a few weeks when training is received out of the area and occasional weekends and nights. These off-site training sessions are conducted when field or specialized conditions are required (driver training, firearms, defensive tactics, tactical tracking, boat school, water survival, etc.).

Most training days begin with an hour of physical exercise before arriving at the training room. This training includes CrossFit, swimming, and running elements. At the beginning of the training day, the recruit officer class assembles into formation, and a training staff member will conduct an inspection and share information regarding the day’s plan.

Leadership development is built into the training program with recruit officers completing weekly assignments as the class Duty Officer.

No. Candidates for the position will be provided a list of duty-stations (counties/cities) that plan to be filled through this announcement and asked to rank them in order of preference. Candidates that do not have a duty station preference and are open to being considered for any of the listed duty stations can select “Any.”

Candidates will know their duty station assignment prior to committing to accepting employment. Officers with DWR are eligible to transfer duty stations after completing 2 years in their assignment. This opens the door for experiencing other parts of Virginia and provides needed flexibility with family and life changes.

Conservation Police Officers are required to reside either in their county/city of assignment or within 20 air miles from the county/city boundary of their assignment as long as the drive time does not exceed 30 minutes. CPOs must reside in the Commonwealth of Virginia and maintain a Virginia Driver’s License while employed as a Virginia Conservation Police Officer.

Virginia Conservation Police Tattoo Policy states in part:

DWR law enforcement division maintains a policy in reference to professional appearance. Applicants who cannot met the standards described in DWR General Order Uniforms and Personal Appearance will be disqualified from employment consideration.

• A tattoo is any design, letter, scroll, figure, symbol, or any other mark made upon or under the skin of any person with ink or any other substances, resulting in a permanent or temporary discoloration of the skin.
• Tattoos on the ears, head, face, nose, eyebrows, neck, or tongue are prohibited.
• Cosmetic tattoos are a type of tattooing in which pigment is applied under the skin of a person to produce designs that resemble the use of makeup to enhance the colors of the lips, eyelids, or eyebrows. Cosmetic tattoos to produce eyeliner, eyebrows, and lipstick for female sworn employees are permitted as long as they are natural in appearance.
• Body Modifications
  • Body modifications visible while on duty are prohibited.
  • Body modifications include, but are not limited to:
    • tongue splitting or bifurcation;
    • complete or trans-dermal implantation of any objects other than hair replacement;
    • abnormal shaping of the ears, eyes or nose;
    • gauging or gradually increasing the radius of a surgically induced opening in the flesh in areas such as the ear lobes or lips; and
    • branding or scarification.
  • Body modifications shall not include those procedures medically necessitated by illness, deformity or injury, when performed by a licensed medical professional.

Application, initial screening, LawFit (physical agility course), written testing, panel interview, background investigation, polygraph examination, medical screening, and psychological screening.

The schedule of a CPO is variable and changes to address seasonal patrol needs, with a focus on early mornings and evening and night patrols throughout the year. Officers can normally expect to have off two weekends a month and are given flexibility in their daily schedules but will be required to work some holidays. This flexibility includes varying start/stop times and working split shifts. District supervisors are responsible for determining the monthly district schedule and work closely with their officers to incorporate day off preferences and coverage needs. The flexibility offered will provide ample opportunity to spend time with family and friends, or enjoy outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, boating, and wildlife viewing.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the Training and Recruiting Section to find out more information about the career. The job responsibilities of conservation police officers can vary depending on their area of assignment.

We have recruiters spread out across Virginia who can provide insight into a specific region, or the career in general. Reach out to us at recruiter@dwr.virginia.gov to ask your questions or to set up a phone call.