Texas Game Warden Marine Theft Investigation Unit

The purpose of this letter is to nominate the Texas Game Warden Marine Theft Investigation Unit (MTIU) for a 2024 IAMI Certificate of Merit. The six investigators of the Texas Game Warden Marine Theft Investigation Unit displayed a remarkable commitment to combating marine theft throughout the year. The unit inspected 932 vessels and motors that were applying for state issued identification numbers and searched for stolen vessels and motors at 37 marine dealers, boat repair shops, and marinas around the state. As of November 1st, the unit had seized and investigated 126 vessels, 88 outboard motors, 33 boat trailers, and two other motor vehicles with a total value of approximately $1.48 million. The seizures represent property that were either reported stolen or potentially stolen due to having a removed, altered, or obliterated identification number. Out of these 249 seizures, the MTIU investigators were able to identify and recover 51 as stolen. 

While those numbers are impressive, they do not tell the whole story. The unit's success in recovering stolen vessels and outboard motors was only partly due to cases that the investigators generated through their own hard work. The rest of the unit's seizures in 2024 were related to requests for assistance  from other Texas Game Wardens, officers at other agencies, and Texas Parks and Wildlife clerks that process vessel title and registration applications. These requests from outside the unit reflect the heavy investment the investigators are making in training others on the significance of the marine theft problem, hull identification number formats, and alternative methods of identifying vessels. Throughout the year, the MTIU investigators taught marine theft related classes at 4 National Insurance Crime Bureau vehicle theft schools, the Texas Association of Vehicle Theft Investigators Annual Conference, the Texas DMV Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, the Game Warden Training Center, and 3 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offices where boat titles are processed. Through this effort approximately 275 law enforcement officers were introduced to the principles of identifying stolen vessels and 25 civilians were taught to identify warning signs of theft and fraud when processing titles and registration. Passing on their marine theft knowledge and skills is what has set the MTIU's work apart this year. The unit is building a network of trained officers in Texas that will have a long-term impact on the marine theft problem far greater than what the six investigators could accomplish on their own.

Winners:

· Captain Jennifer Weaver (supervisor)

· Sergeant Ben Bailey

· Sergeant Clint Borchardt

· Sergeant Lee Morrison

· Sergeant David Prieto

· Sergeant Robert Waggett

· Sergeant Charles Westerman