The purpose of the O.P.S. Challenge Coin is to establish a field-level initiative and tradition to formally recognize on a continual basis those citizens in the Commonwealth who have gone above and beyond to aid and assist the efforts of our law enforcement officers in their duties to uphold the DWR Mission as “Protectors of Virginia’s Wildlife and Natural Resources”.
Those who receive a sequentially-numbered O.P.S. Protector Challenge Coin and appear on this special roll have been nominated by Conservation Police Officers (CPOs) currently serving on the frontlines, and were then approved by the Law Enforcement O.P.S. Advisory Council.
The first sequentially-numbered Law Enforcement ⭑ O.P.S. #1 Protector Challenge Coin is displayed at DWR Headquarters as Posthumous Recognition of our most dedicated protectors prior to the establishment of this special recognition program during the 115th Anniversary of the Law Enforcement Division.
O.P.S. Protector Challenge Coin Database
First Set of Recipients (July 2018):
See Press Release for Additional Information
Note: The top four coin recipients (numbers 2 to 5) were chosen as the most worthy candidates for each region and then were selected according to the most deserving being awarded the lowest numbered coin. All other recipients were randomly drawn for their assigned coin numbers.
| Coin # | Recipient’s Name | County |
|---|---|---|
| #2 | David Jack Ratliff | Dickenson |
| #3 | Bruce Cauthorn | Hanover |
| #4 | Michael Rolband | Prince William |
| #5 | John Honaker | Bedford |
| #6 | Dennis S. Veach | Frederick |
| #7 | Steve Holt Sr. | Campbell |
| #8 | D.C. Duncan | Montgomery |
| #9 | Floyd Fields | Washington |
| #10 | Ron Davis | Grayson |
| #11 | Jesse Battle Harrell | Greensville |
| #12 | Terry Cable | Cumberland |
| #13 | Diana O’Connor | Richmond |
| #14 | Craig Karpinski | Mecklenburg |
| #15 | C.W. Miller | Gloucester |
| #16 | Aaron Clifford Grimsley | Fauquier |
| #17 | Cheryl Cockram | Franklin |
| #18 | Dino Costa | Spotsylvania |
| #19 | Ricky Thompson | Suffolk |
| #20 | Doug Gray | Accomack |
| #21 | James Poole | Rockbridge |
| #22 | Jack Lee | New Kent |
| #23 | Charlie Martin | Rockingham |
| #24 | Richard L. Wharam | Albemarle |
Second Set of Recipients (January 2019):
| Coin # | Recipient’s Name | County |
|---|---|---|
| #25 | Bill Ward | Wythe |
| #26 | Darin Dick | Accomack |
| #27 | Russell Holland | Brunswick |
| #28 | Bryan McGraw | Highland |
| #29 | Jack Van Zant | Scott |
| #30 | David Straughan Robinson III | King William |
| #31 | Tim Hall | Fairfax |
| #32 | Billy Gray | Chesapeake |
| #33 | Judy Jones | Spotsylvania |
| #34 | Steve Peters | Franklin |
| #35 | John Richard Wingfield IV | Albemarle |
| #36 | Mark Fike | King George |
| #37 | James R. Anderson | Washington |
| #38 | Curtis Lowe | Nelson |
| #39 | Billy Apperson | James City |
| #40 | Jim Brech | Culpeper |
| #41 | Bennett Meador | Prince Edward |
| #42 | Dale Runyon | Bedford |
| #43 | Larry & Karen Fisher | Dinwiddie |
| #44 | George P. Mason | Shenandoah |
| #45 | Charles Welder Stultz Jr. | Pulaski |
| #46 | Travis B. Latimer | Isle of Wight |
| #47 | Monte Alan Jessee | Rockbridge |
Third Set of Recipients (July 2019):
| Coin # | Recipient’s Name | County |
|---|---|---|
| #48 | Daniel Orlando Olayvar, Jr. | Pulaski |
| #49 | Brandon C. Basar | Westmoreland |
| #50 | Grayson Chesser | Accomack |
| #51 | Ashley Nicole Allen | Isle of Wight |
| #52 | Charles T. Wright | Fluvanna |
| #53 | Jon & Caroline Lamb | Charles City |
| #54 | Mike Boitnott | Spotsylvania |
| #55 | Pearl Carter | Prince William |
| #56 | Patrick Rice | Mecklenburg |
| #57 | Reginald W. Nelson | Henrico |
| #58 | Brian Keith Anderson | Buckingham |
| #59 | Eric J. Winther | Suffolk |
| #60 | Joe Musick | Tazewell |
| #61 | John Franklin Vanover | Dickenson |
| #62 | Art T. Kasson | Warren |
| #63 | Rick Helton | Gloucester |
| #64 | Franklin Taylor | Bath |
| #65 | Wade Baughan | Culpeper |
| #66 | Randall Hensley | Rockingham |
Each of the 23 law enforcement districts across the state will be given an opportunity semiannually to nominate someone from their geographical area.
The next set of nominations will be received in April of 2020. The O.P.S. Advisory Council will review and approve those nominees. Afterwards, the group of recipients to this Protector Challenge Coin Database will be added after they have all received their numbered coins.