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Retired Illinois Conservation Police Officer offers field check tips for hunters and anglers

Steve Beltran, who retired last year after many years as an Illinois CPO, offers advice for hunters who encounter an officer. (Photo courtesy of DNR)

After 25 years in law enforcement, people often ask me what to do when an officer checks them in the field. With the rise of Internet videos showing poor law enforcement interactions, I can say those are the exception to the thousands of interactions Illinois officers have each year.
Most of the field checks I performed were to determine compliance with regulations enforcement by DNR. Many people were happy to see me and offer their license and documents to show they cared about the resources and were invested in protecting it.

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