AUSTIN— The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission recognized Texas game warden Brad Clark as the Midwest Officer of the Year by the Association of Midwest Fish and Game Law Enforcement Officers during Thursday’s meeting in Austin.

Clark is a founding member of the Texas game warden boat accident team. In the past year, Clark logged more than 200 hours of marine patrol, filed more than 300 cases and responded to six major boat crashes.

One of the more complex fatality crashes involved two boats in which the operators were killed in the crash. Clark worked closely with a veteran warden and acted as the lead investigator. He used his training and ability to reconstruct and create a complete computer automated simulation video of the entire crash using avatar technology.

Clark also conducted, coordinated, and taught the nationally accredited Marine Safety Officer Course for the past three years, certifying more than 100 Texas Peace Officers in a 12 county area to be marine safety officers.

The Smith County warden is also active in his community, providing regular outreach and training to area youth and physically challenged residents. In addition to assisting the Adaptive Aquatics Organization, which gives disabled children and adults the opportunity to water ski and boat on Lake Palestine, Clark also works with the city to provide Hunter Education Programs to more than 100 local youths each year.

Clark also participates in the “Tyler Touch a Truck” program, which exposes area magnet school students to career opportunities in law enforcement. Through this program, more than 200 students have been introduced to game wardens, their patrol vehicles and boats in the hopes of encouraging them to become a warden.

The Association of Midwest Fish and Game Law Enforcement Officers is comprised of 29 member agencies from the United States and Canada. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has been a member since 1995.