Master Officer Mark DiLuigi (center) was named the 2015 Conservation Police Officer of the Year at recent DGIF Board Meeting. Presenting the award were Acting Chief of Law Enforcement Capt. Clark Greene (left) and Lt. Kevin Clarke. Photo by Lee Walker, Manager for Outreach DGIF.
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) announced that Master Officer Mark DiLuigi has been named the 2015 Conservation Police Officer of the Year.
Officer DiLuigi is a veteran officer with 21 years of dedicated service. He routinely demonstrates his excellent investigative skills, to include cultivating informants, successfully interviewing suspects, and old-fashioned “boots on the ground” techniques. Having spent his entire career working in Northern Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., an area where urban, suburban and rural interact daily, adaptability is the key to successful law enforcement and community relations.
Officer DiLuigi has personally witnessed the increasing population and changing demographics, and has evolved his law enforcement techniques accordingly, as shown by his accomplishments and the recognitions he has received from the communities in which he works. He is a leader in community relations in his area and an inspiration to other officers. In early 2015, DiLuigi played a key role in solving the largest wild turkey poaching case investigated to date in the history of Virginia. He has solved numerous other difficult cases through his superior investigative skills, and hard work.
Officer DiLuigi has been instrumental in expanding opportunities on public and private lands for hunting, fishing and boating that were facing closure. By working with local government officials and the public, he assisted in the development of a beginner’s deer hunt on a nature preserve in Loudoun County focusing on educating youth and novice hunters in an area with a large deer population but few public hunting opportunities.
He takes the DGIF Mission Statement to heart by ensuring that we provide an opportunity for all to enjoy wildlife. As a Master Officer, Field Training Officer, Instructor, and Background Investigator, DiLuigi’s optimistic attitude, and professional demeanor set a positive example within the agency and for all who interact with him.