Boating Officer of the Year

nominating: boating officer of the year

Nominations are open to all commissioned, certified or sworn peace officers authorized by the state to enforce the recreational boating safety laws of that state. Boating law administrators should nominate candidates who have made an outstanding contribution to boating safety through enforcement. A nominee should have performed an outstanding service to the agency or state in any facet of recreational boating safety including but not limited to enforcement, education, search and rescue, outreach, innovation, partnership, BUI enforcement, accident investigation, community service, and heroic action. Posthumous nominations are not eligible.

Three regional finalists will be chosen from among the state nominees and will win a paid trip to the NASBLA Annual Conference where the national boating officer of the year will be announced and recognized during the Awards Ceremony.

Nominations for this award must be submitted by a boating law administrator.

The nomination deadline for the Officer of the Year award was April 30, 2020. Nominations for 2020 are now closed!

View sample application.

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National boating officer of the year selected

NASBLA is pleased to announce the regional winners of the Boating Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award. This award symbolizes the highest level of achievement among boating law enforcement officers in the U.S.

The selection process for this award began in January with NASBLA soliciting nominations for each state and territory boating law enforcement officer of the year. Next, each regional association of boating law administrators chose one regional award recipient, making that officer eligible for consideration for the national award. The national award recipient is announced during the NASBLA Annual Conference. 

National Winner 2019

NASBLA presented its prestigious national Boating Officer of the Year award to Corporal Daren Krag with the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, at the 60th NASBLA Annual Conference in Anchorage, Alaska. NASBLA congratulates Corporal Daren Krag on receiving the National Boating Officer of the Year award in recognition of his dedication, commitment and impact on recreational boating safety.

Northern Region

Conservation Warden Paul Sickman 
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Conservation Warden Paul Sickman, of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, has been named the 2019 Northern Region Officer of the Year. Conservation Warden Sickman is an example of a well-rounded officer who effectively balances enforcement, education and community involvement. However, Sickman’s primary concern is ensuring that all boaters have a safe and enjoyable recreational boating experience while on the water. Sickman coordinates the Lower St. Croix River law enforcement meetings in an effort to facilitate collaboration and coordination between multiple law enforcement agencies. During the meetings, these law enforcement agencies address and resolve upcoming issues, coordinate efforts for events such as Operation Dry Water, and much more.

Many would say that Conservation Warden Sickman is proactive in his work toward public education. Sickman is a frequent presenter at U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary boat safety education courses, in schools, at Rotary Clubs, and many other natural resource related events. Additionally, Sickman continues to go above and beyond by publishing a monthly column in local newspapers called "Warden Paul's Corner."

Sickman does an outstanding job assisting and partnering with local law enforcement agencies in the surrounding areas. For this reason, Sickman and the Wisconsin DNR receive great cooperation and assistance from the law enforcement agencies in their area. Congratulations Conservation Warden Paul Sickman! Read the full press release. 

Southern Region

Corporal Lyndle Crownover 
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission 
Corporal Lyndle Crownover, of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, has been named the Southern Region Officer of the Year for 2019. Cpl. Crownover has been in law enforcement for 27 years, spending 14 of these years as a Wildlife Officer. Since he began working for Arkansas Game and Fish, Cpl. Crownover has arrested 128 suspects for BUI, averaging just over 9 BUIs per year.

Cpl. Crownover is extremely active in both boater and youth education. He has played a vital role in the establishment of a very successful boater education program in Baxter County and the surrounding schools. Additionally, Cpl. Crownover assists the Corps of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary with boater education classes and workshops. This year, Crownover organized and assisted in 12 boater education classes, with a total reach of 480 students.

Crownover’s dedication to boating safety enforcement is unmatched. He puts in the extra effort to ensure all boaters can safely enjoy the waters of Arkansas. Congratulations Corporal Lyndle Crownover! Read the full press release. 

Western Region

Corporal Daren Krag 
Klamath County Sheriff’s Office
Corporal Daren Krag, of the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, has been named the 2019 Western Region Officer of the Year. The Oregon State Marine Board has high standards for education through law enforcement. Over the years, some marine deputies choose to go above the rest to ensure Oregon’s waterways are safe. Cpl. Krag is one of these deputies, leaving a permanent footprint behind and setting an example of why law enforcement is essential to the safety of boaters on the water.

Under Cpl. Krag’s leadership, his team has conducted over 72 hours of classroom instruction in local schools and safety fairs reaching 1,732 individual students. This instruction has been delivered in various ways including boating safety courses to help boaters obtain their boater education cards, helping elementary students appreciate the critical importance of wearing a life jacket and more.

It comes with no denial, Cpl. Krag’s valor, pride and ability to remain consistent in enforcing the law, while respecting the boater, is truly a gift. Cpl. Krag is held with the upmost respect among the Oregon marine law enforcement community and Oregon is lucky to have him as one of their top marine deputies. Congratulations Corporal Daren Krag! Read the full press release. 

First presented in 2000, the Marvin “Butch” Potts Memorial Award, known as the Boating Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award, is presented annually to the boating law enforcement officer who has made outstanding contributions to the field of boating law enforcement. The award program consists of three levels: state, regional and national.

Northern Region

Southern Region

Lyndle Crownover, Arkansas

Britton Corbin, Florida

Quinn Fogle, Georgia

Zachary Carney, Kentucky

Mitch Darby, Louisiana

Sarah Grice, Maryland

Jonathan T. Wilson, Missouri

Tyler Ingle, North Carolina

Ray Lewis, South Carolina

Joe Fortner, Tennessee

Darrin Peeples, Texas

Joe Rollings, Virginia

Jeremy M. Quinn, West Virginia

Western Region

Jacques Kosto, Alaska

Kyler Cox, Arizona

Ethan Mahakam, Idaho

Dan Hesket, Kansas

Chris Crane, Montana

Christopher A. Walther, Nevada

Daren Krag, Oregon

(Those in bold text are the regional boating officers of the year.)

Previous Recipients