John Flores: Local wildlife agent is Officer of the Year

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council presented its 2019 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award to Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Agent Sgt. Scott Dupre.
Dupre, a 16-year veteran of the department, was recognized at the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting this week for his service above and beyond the duty requirements and distinguished service.
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council was established to encourage local-level participation and representation in the development of fishery management plans in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The council’s website says the council is structured as a representative democracy and is composed of 17 voting members from the five gulf states.
According to the council’s press release, Dupre has led and assisted with numerous federal fisheries cases throughout his career. His vast knowledge of state and federal fishing regulations has allowed him to make cases for shrimping violations, improper license and permits, and for possession of undersized or out of season fish.
In 2019, Dupre made a case in federal waters that cited a captain for shrimping without a federal permit, not abiding by federal shrimp trawl tow-time regulations, and for violating the Endangered Species Act by being in possession of a sea turtle and two bottle nose dolphin skulls.
Dupre, a 1998 Franklin High School graduate, says he always has had a passion for the outdoors growing up in St. Mary Parish hunting and fishing. After serving his country for four years in the United States Navy, he went to work for Petroleum Helicopters (PHI) in Lafayette.
Upon taking the civil service exam and applying for a position with the department, Dupre was immediately selected and joined the force.
Dupre, 41, and a married father of six children, said, “Hunting and fishing was a way of life for me and still is today. I had never seen a game warden growing up, as much as I was out in the wild. So, I just took the ball and ran with it and I’ve been here ever since.
“It’s been one of the best decisions I ever made,” Dupre continued. “With my passion for the outdoors I guess I feel like the job came a little easier for me to understand and to just go with. I’m not at work at all. I don’t feel like I’m at work every day.”
Dupre says the hours agents work can be a little trying at times. Moreover, it can be hard on a family.
Dupre pointed out it’s not uncommon for a 12 hour day to turn into a 24 hour day if a shrimp case is made, where they have to follow the shrimp boat into a dock and sell the catch.
Often times there is little to no cell phone service offshore, where they’ve had little or no communication with a spouse waiting for word at home.
“It’s hard because we don’t know when we’re going to be home sometimes. Recently, while on my way home from work, we got a call that we possibly were going to have to turn around and go on a rescue mission.
"So, you never know, especially out in the Gulf of Mexico, because we work the state’s offshore waters,” Dupre said.
Dupre says though they do deal with some non-compliant people at times, overall the people he comes in contact with aren’t really difficult. In fact, most of the people he and his fellow enforcement agents deal with are law abiding citizens enjoying the outdoors.
“It’s actually a treat for us sometimes,” Dupre said.
“You get to share some of their best memories of the outdoors with them. When someone’s kid shoots his first deer, I get to enjoy those moments with so many families. I can’t even count how many memories like that I’ve shared over the years.”
Some of the more rewarding moments Dupre says are those when Wildlife Agents bring missing hunters or anglers home to their families.
Dupre said, “We usually know the land better than anybody. You go out there and find them and bring them home — it’s pretty rewarding.”
By contrast, one of the tougher parts of an agent’s job Dupre says is when a fatality occurs from a boating accident.
Recently, Dupre had to work an incident where he knew the deceased and family members.
About the honor of being recognized as the GOMFMC’s Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, Dupre said, “I’m proud to be representing Louisiana in that capacity. This award was not done on my own.
"I have a lot of co-workers that supported me. And, without their help, none of those great cases could have been made.”