Indiana Conservation Officer Matt Tholen, who serves Tippecanoe County, has been selected the 2023 District 3 Officer of the Year.
Tholen has served as a conservation officer since 2003.
In addition to his normal duties as a field officer, he also serves as a field sobriety instructor, sonar operator, K-9 officer, and state K-9 coordinator.
District 3 includes Benton, Boone, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Tippecanoe, White, and Warren counties in west-central Indiana.
The district award puts Tholen 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 Indiana Conservation Officer James D. Pitzer, who was fatally shot while investigating illegal hunting activity on Jan. 2, 1961, in Jay County.
To learn more about the law enforcement division’s K-9 Resource Protection Program visit: on.IN.gov/k-9-teams.