St. Clair Officer Named Alabama Wildlife Officer of the Year

MONTGOMERY, AL - Jason Bassett, a Senior Conservation Enforcement Officer with the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries in St. Clair County has been named the Alabama Wildlife Officer of the Year. The award is given annually by the Shikar-Safari Club International.

Bassett routinely makes a high number of quality arrests, including some unusual cases involving electrofishing and cheating in bass tournaments. Recently, Bassett played a vital role in stopping the over-harvest of game fish in St. Clair County. The case involved the illegal taking of massive amounts of striped and hybrid bass from public waters to be sold in restaurants and fish markets across the Southeast. In that case, Bassett hid himself on dams and among rocks to observe and record the illegal activity, while his fellow officers stood by at off-site locations to intercept the violators. Thanks in part to his efforts, regulations are now in place to prevent this type wildlife violation in the future.

“What truly sets Officer Bassett apart are his personal qualities,” said Lt. Jerry Fincher, WFF District Two Law Enforcement Supervisor. “He is loyal to a fault, honorable, level-headed and a true team player. You will never hear Jason boasting. Instead, he’ll stand in the shadows of his own accomplishments realizing he is blessed to be a link in the chain of conservation stewardship.”

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In the more than 15 years that Bassett has served the people of Alabama as a Conservation Enforcement Officer, he has not only prevented hundreds of wildlife violations, he has also saved the lives of some of his fellow officers.

“Every Alabamian may owe Officer Bassett a debt of gratitude, but I owe him much more,” Fincher said. “While eating at a local restaurant with Jason, I became choked. Unable to breathe I could feel myself losing consciousness. He immediately put his first aid training to work by pulling me from my seat and successfully performing the Heimlich maneuver. He saved my life.”

Additionally, while working alongside Bassett, Conservation Enforcement Officer Greg Gilliland became involved in a confrontation which resulted in his arm becoming trapped in a vehicle’s steering wheel as the driver attempted to back over him. Rushing to his aid, Bassett pulled both men from the vehicle and made the arrest.

“Officer Bassett’s selfless service to his state and his fellow officers is an example for us all to follow,” said Chris Blankenship, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “For these reasons and many more, Jason is very deserving of this award.”

In addition to his duties with WFF, Bassett is a FBI-certified firearms instructor, defensive tactics instructor, Glock and M16 armorer, and a Becoming an Outdoors-Woman instructor. He also serves as an adjunct instructor at the Northeast Alabama Law Enforcement Academy where he teaches firearms and self-defense tactics to new recruits.

Image via Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources