Joe Morelock of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police, was Tuesday’s guest speaker at the weekly luncheon of the Taylorville Kiwanis Club at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.

Morelock outlined his career which led him to his current position of Chief of Field Operations. He started out in the military, and after a 5-year career there, began working in law enforcement in Thayer and Pawnee before landing a job with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in DeWitt County.

Morelock told the Kiwanis Club that fish and game laws are among the most regulated in the state, and he added Conservation Police do a lot of education as well as enforcement.

To qualify to become a Conservation Policeman, candidates must have a 4 year college degree and at least 3 years of experience with the same law enforcement agency. They then go thru 14 weeks of Illinois State Police training, as well as 14 weeks of Conservation Police training then field training after that.

Morelock said that his enforcement duties include wildlife and fish, recreational boating, and even criminal code violations such as drugs and alcohol, among a list of a dozen different things his agency oversees.

[audio:MorelockaudioApr814.mp3]comment here[/audio]

3 members of the Taylorville Kiwanis Key Club from Taylorville High School, attended Tuesday’s Kiwanis Club meeting.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium. For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.