NJDEP Hiring Conservation Officer

[Gerry Zagorski]

https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/jobs/2023-12-08-conservation-police-officer-recruit-fw-2023-42/?fbclid=IwAR0jmXdvHijmIZ9uRFQNwK830m8kEH_arrkHecsx hkeEGeQwHp7PiigkZWQ&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

[togzilla]

Is NJ for real??? Take a look at the educational requirements for the position and they offer a non-negotiable salary of $45,000? Good luck in trying to find someone at that rate of pay which is barely above minimum wage.

[Togfather2530]

All that nonsense and education just to get a job that barely puts you above the poverty level. You will have 100,000 k in student loan debt and make $5000 more a year than the threshold to qualify for welfare. No thanks😂. Hell I never did a resume. I would want them to pay me 10 grand just for having to submit a resume. 🤣

[Togfather2530]

Lol. I wanted to be the first to make a post like this, but you beat me to it TogZila is toggers must think alike.

[1captainron]

Salary for a General manager at McDonalds in New Jersey runs from $52,000-$84,000 per year. No College, No Police training.

Jersey knows how to take, certainly don't know how to give!!
Maybe there's an incentive though, for every ticket you wright, you get a taste.....say 10%.:)

[Jigman13]

You can likely triple that base income with overtime. If know several civil servant workers who literally bank on their overtime from cops, to COs to EMS and fire dept. Their bases are more substantial, but they're literally tripling it due to on the books OT.

[Togfather2530]

You can likely triple that base income with overtime. If know several civil servant workers who literally bank on their overtime from cops, to COs to EMS and fire dept. Their bases are more substantial, but they're literally tripling it due to on the books OT.

I highly doubt they’re tripling it. Maybe doubling it. Even so, what are you saying that they have to live there to make a decent living? I guess they don’t have time to go fishing then lol. That’s no life. I’m sure the benefits are great or at least decent and there’s a pension in the end. I always said a “job” stands for just over broke.

[FishingSinceIWasThree]

https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/jobs/2023-12-08-conservation-police-officer-recruit-fw-2023-42/?fbclid=IwAR0jmXdvHijmIZ9uRFQNwK830m8kEH_arrkHecsx hkeEGeQwHp7PiigkZWQ&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery


We have too many conservation officers already. Don't fill the jobs at all. What we need are heroes who defend the rights of American Citizens - not take them away for money, pensions and a too easy life at the expense of their next door neighbors.

[FishingSinceIWasThree]

Salary for a General manager at McDonalds in New Jersey runs from $52,000-$84,000 per year. No College, No Police training.

Jersey knows how to take, certainly don't know how to give!!
Maybe there's an incentive though, for every ticket you wright, you get a taste.....say 10%.:)


If you expect anyone to believe that a General Manager at McDonalds will make more money than a DEC officer, you better take a look in the mirror....you are the only one left in the country who believes it. There is a huge pension, massive overtime pay, vacations, banked time off etc. and the job is 50 times easier than retail food. These old tired talking points are dead as a doornail....wake up...everyone else knows what you can't seem to come to terms with...or don't want to.

Also, how about a job that serves the citizens instead living off of them like vampires.

[Jigman13]

This guy :confused: :confused: :confused:

[Ol Pedro]

It's sad that business in general has this degree fetish. They set the bar way too high and the best fit for the job isn't even considered. I hope that they fill the positions with people who love to fish and hunt. Some kid who wanted to be a Warden his/her whole life and not some hard ass with an agenda. The money wouldn't matter if they were doing what they love.

[hammer4reel]

It's sad that business in general has this degree fetish. They set the bar way too high and the best fit for the job isn't even considered. I hope that they fill the positions with people who love to fish and hunt. Some kid who wanted to be a Warden his/her whole life and not some hard ass with an agenda. The money wouldn't matter if they were doing what they love.


Totally agree .

The guys who choose this profession really do love what they do.
I personally know a few who have had great careers .
While they might not have made tons of money they enjoyed going to work daily . Don’t hear them complain very often .
And when they do retire their pensions are actually better than guys that made tons more money during their careers .

.

[Rick-D]

They can make a living with good pay and benefits:

https://dep.nj.gov/njfw/conservation/becoming-a-conservation-police-officer/
Conservation Police Officer Recruits earn a salary of $45,000 for their first year and receive health and dental benefits after 60 days of employment. Employees also receive paid vacation, holiday, personal and sick days. After one year at the CPO Recruit title and successful completion of the field training program, the Recruit becomes a Conservation Police Officer 1, which results in a significant pay increase, currently $59,000 per year. With annual step increases, the current top salary for a CPO 1 is $90,300.

[Broad Bill]

Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life right. And $90k a year potential isn't chump change. Think about how many times at the job you have or had you haven't thought to yourself I'd take a $45k job, be on the water or around nature all day long as opposed to the crap I'm dealing with here in a heart beat. If we're being honest, most of us probably have. And when you get older, a nice pension is a huge perk. There's a lot of people who work their tails off in office jobs their entire life and won't see that kind of paycheck.

[Capt Sal]

You can likely triple that base income with overtime. If know several civil servant workers who literally bank on their overtime from cops, to COs to EMS and fire dept. Their bases are more substantial, but they're literally tripling it due to on the books OT.

So that means you make one third of what it is worth.

[Duffman]

We have too many conservation officers already. Don't fill the jobs at allf.

Please tell me you’re joking. Do you fish the shoreline in Raritan bay in the spring at all? If there were 10,000 CO’s on duty at that time there still wouldn’t be enough to stop the rampant poaching.

[Capt Sal]

Please tell me you’re joking. Do you fish the shoreline in Raritan bay in the spring at all? If there were 10,000 CO’s on duty at that time there still wouldn’t be enough to stop the rampant poaching.

Do you mean they keep 200 snappers,10'' fluke and anything that swims?

[Ol Pedro]

We have too many conservation officers already. Don't fill the jobs at all. What we need are heroes who defend the rights of American Citizens - not take them away for money, pensions and a too easy life at the expense of their next door neighbors.

I hope your joking. Being a Warden isn't an easy job. They do defend our rights, Citizen or non Citizen. They are Law Enforcement Officers. They risk their lives just like other Police. Don't have a problem with them hiring a couple more. If you have a problem with non - citizens/ undocumented aliens this isn't the place to express your opinion. Try the polls this November.
I have only been checked a couple of times at Colliers Mills around the range/Kennedy Pond in the last three seasons. Not at all at Prospertown Lake the last couple seasons. Those of us that don't break the law/ have anything to hide are not bothered by them. Just seeing them around is a deterrent to those who choose to push the envelope.

[FishingSinceIWasThree]

This guy :confused: :confused: :confused:



Government workers crying poverty for over 40 years now and claiming that free market life is so much more profitable....it SHOULD be that work because free market absorbs ALL the risk/bankruptcy/household difficulties if failure occurs. Now it is SO MUCH HARDER because we still absorb ALL the risk but now the risk is at least 10 times greater and the payoffs are much less. The scam is over and well all know it.....better for you guys to keep quiet and continue your milking of work economy rather than making us all much more incented to vote it out....if there will ever be a real election again.

[Duffman]

Do you mean they keep 200 snappers,10'' fluke and anything that swims?

You know that area like the back of your hand Capt. and what goes on there. It’s a damn shame.

[Gerry Zagorski]

You know that area like the back of your hand Capt. and what goes on there. It’s a damn shame.

Ummm hummm!

[Jigman13]

It's mostly the striper poaching. Burying them in the sand, stashing them in the rocks, running them off the beach to hide in the woods or in a trunk cooler

[Broad Bill]

Enforcement is a major issue. More of an issue are the meager penalties handed out when people are caught and ticketed. They get a slap on the wrist. And as much as recreational is a problem, commercial is far worse and essentially unenforceable as it relates to bycatch. The numbers are staggering. Even with federal observers on board, a commercial operator can catch and toss back dead 20 times his daily allowable quota and report 10% byycatch on his vessel trip log when he submits his trip information. Makes you wonder what the point is of having federal observers on board commercial boats.

And if most think the recreational sector needs to become unified as I do, this thread is an example of why I never believe it will happen.

[Broad Bill]

It's mostly the striper poaching. Burying them in the sand, stashing them in the rocks, running them off the beach to hide in the woods or in a trunk cooler

It's rampant across the board, not just in the back bay of Sandy Hook. In NJ currently if you have two violations within a five year period for fresh or salt water or hunting, your fishing and hunting privileges are suspended for two years. Anyone know someone whose ever had their privileges suspended?

Problem is without enforcement and substantial fines, there's no perceived punishment for breaking the law. $250 per fish first offense, $500 per fish second offense and third offense @1,000 a fish and loss of fishing privileges for 10 years. That would self fund enforcement efforts, generate funds to materially increase conservation officers and change behavior from the *******s who create the problems. If someone doesn't get it after three violations, give them six months jail time. Each person violating the rules, whether you agree with the regulations or not, are taking these fisheries away from each of us who do our part playing by those same rules to conserve and enjoy the resource.

[the directa]

You need a competitive salary to attract competent applicants. That salary is well below the educational requirement. Good benefits yes. Holidays off , sick time, vacation yes . But you cannot use overtime to justify the position . That dries up at the first state financial crisis. Overtime cost you personal time. Do you really want to work 60-70 hrs per week just to get by ????????

[AndyS]

Maybe with a saltwater license we could boost salaries and hire more officers.

[Broad Bill]

You need a competitive salary to attract competent applicants. That salary is well below the educational requirement. Good benefits yes. Holidays off , sick time, vacation yes . But you cannot use overtime to justify the position . That dries up at the first state financial crisis. Overtime cost you personal time. Do you really want to work 60-70 hrs per week just to get by ????????

You realize we live in a state where many people in the private sector work 50-60 hours already, still struggle to make ends meet for their families and make just as much as the starting salary for the CO position posted. The days of 40 hour work weeks ended decades ago. Add to that commute times in this highly populated and congested state people have to deal with every day, the stress and financial burden those commutes causes just to get back and forth to work. How many people commute every day into NY or to Newark from western NJ, the shore area and northern NJ because they can't afford the basic necessities of life or afford a home locally and need to work as many hours as you pointed out and don't make a dime for those additional hours. "Can't count on overtime, that dries up the first state financial crisis". NJ and every state has been living in financial crisis since I can remember which is getting incrementally worse with our southern borders being flooded with illegal immigrants every day thanks to Joe ^&^%$#% Biden and Secretary Mayorkas yet civil service jobs and government employees still rake in insane amounts of O/T. The Co job is a job any person who loves working with nature would kill for. If not, they would or should have steered their career in a different direction years ago.

[Broad Bill]

Maybe with a saltwater license we could boost salaries and hire more officers.

With the amount of money recreational and commercial fishing interests already generate in this state not used for more enforcement efforts, why should anyone believe salt water license revenues, if adopted, would have a different result?

Read the article in the following link.

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/belmar-slash-lake-como/sections/shore-report/articles/new-jersey-s-8-billion-fishing-industry-among-top-in-nation-supports-52-000-jobs

NJ ranks in the top 10 for revenue generation and employment in the country yet we can't commit funds for more CO's to enforce the laws and safeguard our resources. You really believe a salt water license will cause NJ and local politicians to suddenly find religion. Sorry if I don't share your optimism that our politicians will use those funds in a manner they should be used.

[dales529]

You realize we live in a state where many people in the private sector work 50-60 hours already, still struggle to make ends meet for their families and make just as much as the starting salary for the CO position posted. The days of 40 hour work weeks ended decades ago. Add to that commute times in this highly populated and congested state people have to deal with every day, the stress and financial burden those commutes causes just to get back and forth to work. How many people commute every day into NY or to Newark from western NJ, the shore area and northern NJ because they can't afford the basic necessities of life or afford a home locally and need to work as many hours as you pointed out and don't make a dime for those additional hours. "Can't count on overtime, that dries up the first state financial crisis". NJ and every state has been living in financial crisis since I can remember which is getting incrementally worse with our southern borders being flooded with illegal immigrants every day thanks to Joe ^&^%$#% Biden and Secretary Mayorkas yet civil service jobs and government employees still rake in insane amounts of O/T. The Co job is a job any person who loves working with nature would kill for. If not, they would or should have steered their career in a different direction years ago.

You have me on most of your posts commercial vs recreational . Then you got ultra political. So if every state has been in financial crisis since you can remember ( dont know your age) but now its a border and current president issue?
I run my own business and have dealt with Federal / State economics for the last 20 years and guess what you succeed by yourself by adjusting to each party.
I don't adhere to either party but none have been worse or better than the other, No leaders in either.

Lots of whining but never policy and now the party of small government / stay out of lives is as bad or worse than the alternative!
Recent:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/12/23/trump-biden-us-economy-compared/
Is there any real feasible policy for border control in legislation from either side? NOT
Was there any in recent memory ( I am 64) NOT


Was fisheries management better under Bush, Obama, Trump / Biden. Having spent a lot of time fighting these issues I have seen no change regardless of who is in office. You seem to understand MSA so guess you get why,

NJ: Was NJ Fisheries management better recently under Christie Vs Murphy? Not so much Last NJ politician to make a difference was Christine Todd Whitman who helped clean up our waters.

[Broad Bill]

You have me on most of your posts commercial vs recreational . Then you got ultra political. So if every state has been in financial crisis since you can remember ( dont know your age) but now its a border and current president issue?
I run my own business and have dealt with Federal / State economics for the last 20 years and guess what you succeed by yourself by adjusting to each party.
I don't adhere to either party but none have been worse or better than the other, No leaders in either.

Lots of whining but never policy and now the party of small government / stay out of lives is as bad or worse than the alternative!
Recent:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/12/23/trump-biden-us-economy-compared/
Is there any real feasible policy for border control in legislation from either side? NOT
Was there any in recent memory ( I am 64) NOT


Was fisheries management better under Bush, Obama, Trump / Biden. Having spent a lot of time fighting these issues I have seen no change regardless of who is in office. You seem to understand MSA so guess you get why,

NJ: Was NJ Fisheries management better recently under Christie Vs Murphy? Not so much Last NJ politician to make a difference was Christine Todd Whitman who helped clean up our waters.

Whoa, if my post is ultra political how would you characterize yours? I make one reference to the condition of most state's economies and budgets in response to Directa's post with no mention whatsoever of party affiliations or blame and you go off on a political tirade. My post never discussed political parties.

The ONLY reference I made which could be construed as political involved the continued and massive financial drain the border crisis is causing this country at both a state and federal level. And let's not get into the enormous national security risk we're all being exposed to. It's an unprecedented and unmitigated disaster by the Biden administration and Mayorkas. That's an unarguable fact, not a blanket comparison of or endorsement for or against either party. If we don't agree, we don't agree.

Fyi, the federal government, and state governments largely as a result, since 1900 have operated in the red 94 out of 123 years or almost 76% of the time. Why else is our national debt currently over $34 trillion. My post said nothing about whose to blame, just stated the facts. Back to my point, in most all those years, there's been massive amounts of OT spent for civil servants and government employees because in this country when revenue runs low we get around it by either printing currency or incurring more debt so I don't think not getting OT will ever be an issue to a CO.

My apology if I hit a nerve. Apologies to the OP as well if my comments pushed this thread off topic.

[NJ219bands]

Enforcement is a major issue. More of an issue are the meager penalties handed out when people are caught and ticketed. They get a slap on the wrist. And as much as recreational is a problem, commercial is far worse and essentially unenforceable as it relates to bycatch. The numbers are staggering. Even with federal observers on board, a commercial operator can catch and toss back dead 20 times his daily allowable quota and report 10% byycatch on his vessel trip log when he submits his trip information. Makes you wonder what the point is of having federal observers on board commercial boats.

And if most think the recreational sector needs to become unified as I do, this thread is an example of why I never believe it will happen.

My only windowpane flounder fish 🐟 tag recapture was by a NMFS observer on a scallop boat. He did an outstanding job.