Atlanta, GA - - Darwin Huggins is the national 2015 Guy Bradley Award recipient for his superior federal law enforcement career accomplishments in the protection of wildlife and natural resources.
Huggins is the assistant special agent in charge of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southeast Regional Law Enforcement Office. He was presented the award in Arlington, Virginia.
Named after the first wildlife law enforcement officer to be killed in the line of duty in 1905, the Guy Bradley Award is a national award presented by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) each year to one state and one federal agent for outstanding lifetime achievements in wildlife law enforcement.
“Most of Darwin’s law enforcement career has been spent in the Southeast Region, and we are proud to have one of our own receive national recognition for his achievements," said Cindy Dohner, Southeast Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “He is an extraordinary example and a mentor for other state and federal law enforcement officers.”
“I am extremely proud of Darwin's well deserved recognition,” said Luis Santiago, special agent in charge of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southeast Regional Law Enforcement Office. “This award highlights his dedication to the protection of wildlife and natural resources. It is a true testament to his lifetime contributions in implementing fish and wildlife laws, and his dedication in mentoring, working with and developing many other state and federal officers in our line of work.”
A 35-year veteran in wildlife law enforcement, Huggins has served in his current position since 2011. He helps oversee the work of 44 Service Conservation Law Enforcement Officers and 34 Wildlife Inspectors throughout the Southeast, trains federal, state, tribal, and foreign law enforcement officers, investigates wildlife crimes, regulates wildlife trade, and works in partnership with international, state, and tribal law enforcement counterparts.
“I am truly honored to receive the Guy Bradley award,” Huggins said. “I considered many of the past recipients as my mentors. I learned so much from working and talking to them through the years. Hopefully, I was able to pass some of their knowledge on to our current cadre of agents and officers.”
“I enjoy working with new law enforcement agents who are coming into the Service at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and watching them progress in their training and throughout their careers,” Huggins added. “Another highlight of my career is solving cases of intentional wildlife poisonings and bringing the offenders to justice.”
Huggins grew up in Gillett, Arkansas, and began his career in 1980 with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in the Hunter Education section of the Law Enforcement Division. In 1984, he became a Wildlife Officer with the Commission and served in Dallas and Grant counties. Huggins joined the Service in 1990 as a refuge law enforcement officer with Cache River National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Arkansas.
In 1994, Huggins became a Service Special Agent and served one year in Torrance, California, before he returned to the Southeast in 1995 to work in Daphne, Alabama. In 2002, he joined the Service’s Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia, and coordinated training for the Service’s Office of Law Enforcement. In 2007, Huggins transferred to Atlanta and served as the Service’s Resident Agent in Charge for Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, until he began serving in his current position in December 2011.
