2011 Officer Of The Year
Randy Lusetti, Nevada Department of Wildlife

In his 16 years of service, Randy Lusetti has come to exemplify the professionalism, knowledge and attitude that any wildlife agency only encounters in the most rare and dedicated of individuals. Lusetti a leader to other game wardens, and he is an inspiration to those who work with him. The only thing lacking in Lusetti, when asking his fellow game wardens, friends and the wildlife community at large, is that there not nearly enough adequate ways to recognize his talent and dedication.

Lusetti grew up in a small town in Eastern Nevada and was raised by his parents hunting, trapping and fishing, developing a love and respect for the resource. This passion has become a calling, earning him a well deserved reputation of as a leading law enforcement presence in the Nevada Department of Wildlife. He Patrolled Lake Mead from 1995 to 2000 where he spent many day patrolling in 120-130 degree heat making the waters a safer place to be. In 2000 he moved to Reno and began his land patrol. Randy has consistently written a substantial amount of good citations and has conducted many high profile arrest.

Not only is Lusetti a great game warden, but he also takes the extra time and effort to pass along his exemplary skills to others in the department. He has helped to develop and implement many of our agencies policies and procedures, such as our Firearms Training Procedures, Enhanced Evidence Collection and Evidence Storage Procedures, Sims Training. He has been an influential field training officer for new game wardens, ensuring a new generation of game wardens that will at least strive toward the same ethic that Lusetti lives every day. Randy has received the Shikar Safari Officer of the Year Award from Safari Club International and has been awarded the Nevada Game warden of the Year by the Nevada Game Warden's Association.

Lusetti has also been asked to be lead investigator on several high profile cases where he managed a multitude of officers and the apprehension of many sought-after wildlife violators. In one case he organized more 19 other officers in the apprehension of a rogue trapper that had been eluding officers for over 10 years. This poacher was believed to have trapped and killed hundreds of bobcats illegally. When Randy got on his trail, he didn't give up until the poacher was caught. Randy's dogged determination sets him apart even among the strongest professionals. In 2007, while on Patrol Randy came across a suspicious hunter in camp and upon investigation found that the supposed "chucker hunter" had a dead doe mule deer which he had no permit for.

It's Lusetti's interviewing skills that sets apart from the average leader. Lusetti has a way of getting inside criminals minds to seek information important in many cases. In 2010 Lusetti was a large contributor of a long drawn out elk poaching case involving 5 poachers that killed 2 mature bull elk. He spent many days preparing search warrants, interview questions and time analyzing evidence as well preparing search teams for a 5 house search warrant and subsequent prosecutions.

Living in the "Biggest Little City" of Reno, Randy is the kind of officer that answers his phone 24 hours a day 7 days a week. He often drops everything else in his life in a moment's notice to assist other state wildlife officers in an investigation or to respond to an Operation Game Thief call. He never shirks away from those calls many consider mundane, responding to so many of the Silver State's ever growing "Wildlife Conflict" issues. Randy has at some point touched every wildlife problem, including problem bears, nuisance coyotes and other voracious animals that bring pain and confusion to Nevada residents.

In addition to being the go-to warden for many urban issues, Lusetti manages to patrol one of Nevada's most remote management districts in Northwestern Nevada, much of which is hundreds of miles away from his home. Rain, snow or sun, Randy spends an average of more than 50 nights per year on patrols away from home. He spends these nights camped out on special patrols and investigations, keeping violators in check and finding people who often cannot believe there is another human being within 100 miles. It's not uncommon for Randy to leave on the night before a season opener and not be home for three or four days at a time, living out of the back of his truck while on patrol near the remote California and Oregon borders. As part of the state line patrol, Randy has developed close working relationships with many game wardens from other states, and he has earned their respect by always being willing and able to do more than is required, doing whatever it takes to get the job done.

When it comes to investigations, no one is more tenacious than Randy. He notices facts many officers overlook and dedicates hours in preparation for the prosecution. Randy has dedicated many hours to studying Nevada wildlife and criminal law. Often, veteran officers with more than twenty or even thirty years of experience consult him on legal issues, because of his vast knowledge in these areas. Randy's reports are always flawless, and he consistently submits them on time in perfect order. Randy's professionalism is exemplified by his outstanding relationships with the justice system, including district attorneys, judges, other law enforcement officers and various sportsmen's groups.

Off duty rand also goes the extra mile for our communities. He has been a former representative of the game warden association and a past president of the Nevada Game Warden Association. Randy has assisted in fund raising projects such as One fly tournaments where we raise funds for scholarships. This year he assisted in raising funds to benefit our states first "Cops and Bobbers fishing for kids" fishing event. In this event LE officers will be taking underprivileged kids fishing for a day.

Randy is one of those officers who make other officers better. He exemplifies a positive influence with an unmatched knowledge, dedicated work ethic and, above all a great attitude. When it comes to preparation and execution no one comes close to Lusetti in Nevada. He always has his resource, ethics, and attitude in top condition. Many Nevada game wardens have worked in other states, and it common to hear that Randy's professionalism figures prominently among so many other wildlife officers in the Western U.S. In Nevada, we are honored to have Randy Lusetti as our friend and colleague and would strongly recommend him as an excellent nominee for the NAWEA Outstanding Service and the Officer of the Year Awards.