New Kensington native to patrol Ohio River as part of Fish & Boat Commission's newest officer class

Tyler Balla knew he wanted a career in law enforcement when he was growing up in New Kensington.

“My uncle was a police officer in St. Petersburg, Fla., and he was my buddy,” Balla said. “Every time he’d come home, he’d always tell law enforcement stories. He passed away from colon cancer at 34, and he was kind of my inspiration.”

Balla, 26, also grew up in a family that valued hunting, fishing and other outdoor pursuits.

“I have a camp up in Tionesta, so I do a lot of hunting and fishing there,” he said. “And my buddy has a private lake out in Latrobe where we do a lot of fishing.”

When it came time to look into a career, Balla had trouble finding a downside to becoming a Fish & Boat Commission Waterways Conservation Officer.

“What better way to blend two things together that I really love?” he said.

Balla was among 16 graduates from the 24th class of Waterways Conservation Officers, and he will be staying close to home, having been assigned to patrol western Allegheny County.

“My district is where the Ohio River rolls through, so that’s where I’ll be spending a lot of my time,” Balla said. “There are three officers in Allegheny County, situated in the western, central and eastern parts, and we all work well together.”

Balla’s first month on the job included the Fourth of July, which he spent near the confluence of Pittsburgh’s three rivers.

The conservation officers are responsible for enforcing the state fish and boat code.

“That’s our bread and butter,” Balla said.

And, while he’s only been on the job for a month, Balla technically has been employed by the Fish & Boat Commission for a year.

“We actually go to the state police academy in Hershey, where we train right alongside state troopers,” he said. “It’s similar to (military) basic training — you’re running every morning, you’re getting yelled at, and we go through six months of that.”

From there, prospective conservation officers head to the H.R. Stackhouse Fish & Boat Academy in Bellefonte, to study the enforcement side of the job.

In early June, Balla received the keys to his work truck.

“They basically told me to go out, meet my fellow officers and learn my territory,” he said.

Officers’ duties include patrolling the streams, rivers, and lakes in their regions, assisting with investigations, participating in public outreach events and stocking waterways with fish.

“With their intense training behind them, these new officers are ready to serve millions of anglers and boaters in Pennsylvania and work to protect, conserve and enhance our aquatic resources,” said Col. Clyde Warner, director of the Fish & Boat Commission’s Bureau of Law Enforcement.

But before heading onto the water, Balla and his fellow graduates had to figure out who was headed where.

“The assignments are based on what’s available as we’re going through the academy, depending on who’s retiring or moving to a new location,” he said. “We had 16 guys in our class, and they showed us what was available, and told us to pretty much figure it out among ourselves.”

Some officers, like Balla, will be staying close to home. Others, like Irwin native Thomas Watson III, will be headed to another section of the state. He took an assignment in Potter County.

Balla is looking forward to the job.

“I enjoy interacting with people who enjoy the same hobbies I do,” he said. “Last Saturday, we did a ‘Fish with the WCO’ event at Keystone Lake, just meeting some families and doing some fishing. Things like that are a really attractive benefit for me.”