DNR conservation officer named regional Law Enforcement Officer of the Year

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DNR conservation officer named regional Law Enforcement Officer of the Year
(Released November 8, 2010)


Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Conservation Officer Aaron Kahre has been named the Regional Boating Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA).

Kahre is assigned to the Mound station, which includes a large portion of 14,000-acre Lake Minnetonka, the busiest recreational boating lake in Minnesota.

“Officer Kahre’s boating safety enforcement effort on the water has been outstanding,” said Kim Elverum, DNR boating safety coordinator. “He has made more contacts than any other officer in his district and is always willing to help with any request for his assistance, and collaborates well with other agencies.”

In 2009, Kahre wrote or assisted with nine boating while intoxicated (BWI) arrests. That year he also worked 312 boating safety hours, including numerous nights, weekends and holidays on the water. He also volunteered for extra boating detail hours outside of his own patrol area.

Kahre organized or has been the lead officer on numerous boating enforcement projects on Lake Minnetonka, targeting BWI, careless boating and other violations. He volunteered to work events on both the Mississippi and Lower St. Croix rivers, as well other boating safety details.

Kahre has attended additional DWI enforcement training for impaired operation enforcement. He also has taken advantage of emergency medical technician training and training in other areas to enhance his boating enforcement skills.

Concerned with children’s safety, Kahre has presented boating safety information to numerous groups including schools, civic and sporting organizations. He also actively supports the DNR’s PFD Panda Dairy Queen award program, which rewards kids on the water who are wearing life jackets. He also worked many public events to promote the boating safety program, such as the Minnesota State Fair and civic clubs, and provided numerous “ride-a-longs” to interested youth.

Kahre worked with the U.S. Secret Service during VIP visits to the Twin Cities, including an event on Lake Minnetonka.

He works closely with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Water Patrol, assisting with accident situations and body recoveries. When the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge collapsed in Minneapolis on Aug. 1, 2007, DNR officers and county sheriff’s deputies were charged with maintaining security on the water for the 23 days following the incident. Kahre volunteered to be onsite for days, assisting in the effort to make sure all of the victims of the bridge collapse could be located, and their families could receive the closure they needed.

The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators is a national nonprofit organization that represents the recreational boating safety authorities of all 50 states and the U.S. territories. NASBLA established its Boating Law Enforcement Officer of the Year program in 2000 to celebrate the nation’s outstanding marine officers.