SEATTLE, Wash. (Sept. 14, 2016) – During its 57th annual meeting, held in Seattle Wash., Sept. 11-14, 2016, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) presented its prestigious national Boating Officer of the Year Award to Officer Jarrod Molnar Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
First launched 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.
Officer Jarrod Molnar has worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) for four years and is assigned to Okaloosa County. Jarrod has been around boating since he was a young boy, gaining much of his boating experience while growing up around boats and water where his father worked as a licensed captain.
He established and maintains a close working relationship with FWC’s partner agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard, Okaloosa Sheriff Office and Eglin AFB military police. Okaloosa is a popular boating county and also has highly visited beaches. In 2015, Officer Molnar responded to 10 calls for service due to swimmers in distress or missing. He rescued 27 people from the water due to currents or tidal conditions.
As a field-training officer, he has assisted in training new FWC officers in the area. Along with the needed skills and training, Jarrod provides in depth instruction on BUI investigation and proper report writing. Jarrod’s enthusiasm and effective teaching methods have also resulted in him being selected to be a part of the FWC training staff as an instructor for vessel operations to teach new recruits.
He provides assistance to other officers on BUI investigations and serves as a breath test operator. For this calendar year, he has made 13 BUI arrests, one .02 violation and cited four minors with possession of alcoholic beverages. Currently, none of his BUI arrests have been challenged in court, which is a testament to his ability to document observations and his report writing skills. Jarrod has documented 786 hours of vessel patrol, issued 82 boating citations, 153 boating safety warnings, completed boating accident investigations and assisted investigators with fatal accident investigations.
The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators is a national nonprofit organization that works to develop public policy for recreational boating safety. NASBLA represents the recreational boating authorities of all 50 states and the U.S. territories. NASBLA offers a variety of resources, including training, model acts, education standards and publications. Through a national network of thousands of professional educators, law enforcement officers and volunteers, the organization affects the lives of over 76 million American boaters. To learn more about how NASBLA continues to make the waterways safe, secure and enjoyable, visit http://www.nasbla.org.