Switzerland Co. Conservation Officer Named District 9 Officer of the Year

Monday, February 3, 2025 at 11:24 AM

By Travis Thayer @eagle993

Ten winners from around the state are up for the statewide award.

(Switzerland County, Ind.) - Indiana Conservation Officer Steve Kinne has been selected as the 2024 District 9 Officer of the Year.

Kinne, who serves Switzerland County, has been a conservation officer since 1985. He served in Boone County before transferring to Switzerland County in 1987.

He was a part of the investigative section for the Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement from 2011 to 2022 before returning to field patrol for the division.

District 9 includes Rush, Fayette, Union, Franklin, Decatur, Ripley, Jennings, Jefferson, Switzerland, Ohio, and Dearborn counties.

The district award puts Kinne in the running for the Pitzer Award, which is presented to the top overall conservation officer in the state and is selected from the 10 district winners.

The Pitzer Award is named after Conservation Officer James D. Pitzer, who was fatally shot while investigating illegal hunting activity on January 2, 1961, in Jay County.