Indiana Conservation Officer Robert Klakamp has been selected the 2021 District 8 Officer of the Year.
Klakamp is assigned to Jackson County and has been a conservation officer since 2016.
In addition to his normal duties as a field officer, he also serves as an airboat operator, field training officer, and venomous reptile handler.
District 8 includes Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Lawrence, Orange, Perry, Scott, and Washington counties in south central Indiana.
The district award puts Klakamp in the running for the Pitzer Award, which is given to the top overall conservation officer in the state and selected from the 10 district award winners.
The Pitzer award is named after Conservation Officer James D. Pitzer, who was fatally shot while investigating illegal hunting activity on Jan. 2, 1961, in Jay County.