(Indianapolis, IN) - A local conservation officer has been honored for his efforts. Officer Alex Toth, who serves LaPorte County, has been selected as the 2023 District 10 Conservation Officer of the Year. District 10 includes seven counties in northwest Indiana.

Toth has been a conservation officer since 2017. In addition to his regular field officer duties, he also serves as a scuba diver, use of force instructor, firearms instructor, field training officer, and passenger-for-hire inspector.

The district award puts Toth in the running for the Pitzer Award, which is given to the top overall conservation officer in the state.

The Pitzer Award is named after Indiana Conservation Officer James D. Pitzer, who was fatally shot while investigating illegal hunting activity in 1961 in Jay County.